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COASTAL MAINE 






y 

THE STORY OF MAINE 


COASTAL 

MAINE 


BY 

L. WHITNEY ELKINS 


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ILLUSTRATED 



THE HILLSBOROUGH COMPANY 
BANGOR, MAINE 




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Copyright 1924 by j 
The Hillsborough Company ^ 


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FOREWORD 


In this book we write of the history, the scenic charm, and the 
legends of Maine, and of more than these. Our story is largely 
one of the past, but it is equally the story of the present, and is not 
altogether without reference to the future. Although largely his¬ 
torical, we do not present it as a complete history of the Maine 
coast country, nor as a work of exhaustive research; but rather as 
a book to be read for entertainment and such incidental instruction 
as it affords. Care has been taken to write the authentic facts of 
history, as far as history is brought into the work. We have looked 
to Baxter, Burrage, Thayer, and other recent investigators, who 
have cleared up so many disputed and obscure matters that their 
works are invaluable to any one who wishes to understand the true 
history of Maine. 





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ALONG THE MAINE SHORE-PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT 















THE STORY OF MAINE 

COASTAL MAINE 


S the coast-dweller looks from his cottage window, or the 
tourist gazes from the piazza of his hotel over some por¬ 
tion of the restless beauty and indescribable blending of 
things that is presented along the Maine shore, he is think¬ 
ing almost wholly of the present and very little of the 
past. He sees numerous headlands and islands in a setting of 
watery coves and thoroughfares that wind in and between and out, 
all connecting somehow with the open sea. The profusion of 
scenery possesses his mind. The view extends far away and there 
are islands always. Some have high walls and bold projecting 
bluffs; others recede gently and are so low that they scarcely seem 
to rise above the water’s brim; nearly all are dark and distinct in 




Courtesy Lafayette National Park 


THAT WIND IN AND BETWEEN AND OUT ” 














10 


COASTAL MAINE 


their covering of dense evergreen. A blue mountain range is seen 
in the eastern far-away. At the moment the atmosphere is peace¬ 
ful and restful. The water-ripples lap and sparkle. The distant 
steamboat, followed by a trail of smoke, plows its course swiftly 
and gracefully, and all the little snatches of detached landscape 
are mantled in their pleasantest hues. 

No, our fisherman or tourist thinks not of the past. He is 
engrossed completely in the scene before him. Perhaps he has 
forgotten the legends and history that make Maine one of the 
most interesting of all 
our commonwealths; or, 
perchance, in the busy 
rush of life’s routine 
he has given little heed 
to legends and history. 

In times compara¬ 
tively remote, it is said 
that the adventurous 
Northmen visited our 
continent and many of 
us believe that their 
dark ships sailed the 
waters of the Gulf of 
Maine. Like a halo through the mists of the old Northland, dis¬ 
closing much, yet shedding only a dim light on past events that we 
would like to see clearly, the story has come down to us through 
the Icelandic sagas. 

About ten centuries ago a rash Scandinavian, named Biarne, 
while in quest of Greenland came instead to the thickly wooded 
coast of a continent, and returning northward, took home the news 
of his discovery. A few years later Leif the Lucky sailed from 
Greenland to explore the new land. He arrived first before a 
barren shore and ice-covered mountains, probably the Labrador of 
to-day, and he called the place Helluland; next he came to a low 
coast, very likely the Nova Scotia of our own time, and named 
it Markland; and continuing his course he reached a fair, pleasant 
country where he tarried and made a settlement. One of his men 
found an abundance of wild grapes nearby and very appropriately 
the locality was named Vineland. 



Lafayette National Park 
A MAINE HEADLAND 



COASTAL MAINE 


11 


Leif soon returned to Greenland; but his brother Thorwald 
took up the project, and organizing an expedition of one hundred 
and sixty men, set sail to establish a permanent colony in Vineland. 
All went well for a while and the settlers spent a winter there. 
One day in the springtime three boats propelled by natives were 
seen approaching the colony, and Thorwald’s men unwisely 
attacked the Skellings, as they called them, and killed all save 
one. Afterwards innumerable boats with hostile purpose filled the 
bay. The Northmen guarded themselves as best they could, but 
fought little. Thorwald received an arrow wound and died, and 

the expedition returned to Greenland. 

About five years afterwards the 
Norse colony in Greenland at the 
Yuletide celebration inaugurated a 
winter season of lively social activity, 
which was followed in the spring by 
a merry wedding and a honeymoon 
journey venturesome and romantic be¬ 
yond all comparison. Persuaded by his 
daring bride, Gudrida, the wealthy 
Karlsefne took a company of sixty 
colonists together with a bountiful sup¬ 
ply of provisions and sailed south to 
reinhabit the deserted abodes of Vine- 
land. These hardy followers of Thor 
traded with the Skellings and pros¬ 
pered several years. A son was born 
to Gudrida and named Snorri, from 
whom in latter times many prominent Scandinavians were proud 
to trace their descent. Unfortunately relations with the natives 
never were certain. One day Karlsefne s bull bellowed at the 
Skellings and frightened them away. They returned as warriors. 
The Northmen defended themselves, placing the bull in front of 
their fighting men. Afterwards, however, it appears that on account 
of trouble with the natives, Vineland was abandoned the third time. 
One more expedition sailed to Vineland. All through the win¬ 
ter intrigue and murder prevailed in the colony; and in the spring, 
with the departure of those who had been permitted to live, there 
came, as far as we know, the end of Vineland the Good. 








12 


COASTAL MAINE 


These visits to America do not seem strange when we consider 
the traits of those old sea-vikings—traits so strong that they have 
persisted a thousand years and are inherent still among the Norse, 
Swedes, and Danes of the present day. Charlemagne lived to see 
the Northmen sail past his coast and the heart of the valorous old 
empire-builder was filled with apprehension and grief. A hundred 
years before the settlement of Vineland this same northern race 
had harassed Charles of France and gained one of the fairest 
portions of his kingdom; and these northern invaders had so nearly 
swept Alfred of England from his throne that he was compelled 
to compromise and give half his realm into their possession. Ire¬ 
land and Scotland felt their aggressive blows. The Northmen 
were destined soon to furnish four kings to sit upon the English 
throne, and this line in turn was to be overthrown and the land 

overrun by an invincible 
ruler and people who 
were energized by the 
same northern blood. 
Nor were these rovers 
to stop until they had 
penetrated Constantino¬ 
ple, Egypt, and the Sar¬ 
acen’s domain. When 
we consider the achieve¬ 
ments of these restless, 
conquering people, it is 
not surprising that they 
should have reached our shores; indeed, the real wonder is that 
they failed to maintain their hold and to become the dominating 
force in the development of the new world. 

The halo from the Northland has not illumed all, and the site 
of Vineland is a matter of conjecture. Various localities in 
Massachusetts and Rhode Island have presented their claims. But 
investigation of the narrations in the sagas has led scholars to 
believe that the settlement may have been made on the shores 
of our present State of Maine. As we acquaint ourselves with 
the beautiful coast region in the vicinity of Sagadahoc, it is pleas¬ 
ing to believe that this region embraces the old Wonderstand of 
the Northmen. 



THE SAGADAHOC 




COASTAL MAINE 


13 


After the vikings departed the wooded solitudes overlooked the 
sea and listened to the breaking of the waves. The moonbeams, like 
sprites, played over the waters at night. The Indians in their 
bark canoes scurried across the bays and through the thoroughfares, 
and at intervals raised the warwhoop in their affrays in the forests. 
Possibly some lost voyager found his way hither from the old world. 
Nevertheless for nearly five hundred years the land was a great 
solitude. Then Cabot sailed along our rugged shores of Maine 
in 1498 and the spell was broken. Two years later it is probable 
that Corte-Real of Portugal looked in upon our coast. Nearly a 
quarter of a century passed by and Verazzano, a Florentine in the 
service of France, scanned our coast mountains and dense forests. 
The next year Gomez penetrated the Gulf of Maine to the Penob¬ 
scot, upon the banks of which he unfurled the royal banner of 
Spain. On account of this exploit the river for many years was 
known as the Rio de Gomez. Thevet visited the Penobscot in 



Lafayette National Park 


WHEN CABOT SAILED BY 







14 


COASTAL MAINE 


1556, and early in the next century trading and fishing vessels 
came to the Sa,gadahoc region as a matter of course. 

One day in 1604 when the spring was warming into summer 
and both land and water were assuming a more genial aspect, two 
ships on the broad Atlantic turned towards the Nova Scotia shore. 
“The best and meanest of France were crowded on the decks. 
There were nobles from the court of Henry IV and thieves from 
the Paris prisons; there were Catholic priests and Huguenot min¬ 
isters; there were ruffians who were flying from justice, and there 
were volunteers of high birth and character.” Henry IV of France, 
the versatile Henry of Navarre, filled with missionary zeal and 
anxious to establish a commerce with the New World, had pro¬ 
jected the expedition, and merchants of the realm had interested 
themselves in fitting out the vessels. Sieur de Monts held the com¬ 
mand and in his motley crew were Poutrincourt and Champlain. 
De Monts’ purpose was to make a permanent settlement. His patent 
from the king covered all that is now New England and much 
besides. 

The ships coasted along the southern end of Nova Scotia and 
skirted the peninsula’s western shore, looking in at Port Royal, or 
Annapolis, as it now is called; thence they ascended farther the 
Bay of Fundy and entered the River St. John. Finding no place 
to their liking, they turned their course, and having proceeded far 
enough southward, cautiously ventured into Passamaquoddy Bay, 
marvelling at the number of islands; and ere long they sailed north¬ 
ward again upon the bosom of a beautiful river. 

The French were charmed with the prospect, and arriving at a 
place where a small wooded island arose in the middle of the 
stream, they resolved to rear their new home there. The soil was 
fertile and all that Nature could provide seemed abundant. The 
shelter for vessels was sufficient and mounted cannon could 
arrest any force that might attempt to pass by. The location was 
favorable for intercourse with the Indians and far enough from 
the main to be defended easily from all enemies. Beyond the 
island two streams, one from the west, the other from the east, 
flowed into the river and formed a cross, and for this reason the 
river and island were named St. Croix. 

Champlain laid out the plans for settlement, and all the colonists 
having come up, work was commenced in earnest. Mosquitoes 


COASTAL MAINE 


15 


poisoned the men until their faces were so swollen that they scarcely 
could see. But the enterprise must go on, and early in the autumn 
a stout palisade inclosed a storehouse, bakery, and blacksmith’s shop, 
• as well as the guard house, de Monts’ dwelling, the curate’s resi¬ 
dence, a well, and some garden plots. A little chapel was erected 
without the palisade, and the entire settlement was protected by a 
small fort on which cannon were placed and over which floated 
the banner of the fieur de Us, 

Land was cleared for the next season’s planting and the colony 
was making good progress. But winter came sooner than it had 
been expected. In October the ground was buried in snow, and 
a month later ice began to float down the river. A cold season 
of unusual severity was running its course and successive storms 
piled up the snow to a great depth. A novel experience, this, for 
the sons of sunny France! Nevertheless, with the happiness which 
characterizes the French race, they performed their work day by 
day and wisely improvised amusements to relieve the tedious soli¬ 
tude of their surroundings. Among other activities they edited 
a little paper which circulated through the settlement,—the first 
periodical, we dare say, native to the New World. 

Finally the ice blocked about the island so that the colonists 
could not get off to the mainland. No cellar had been dug for 
the storage of provisions and even the liquors froze, excepting the 
Spanish wine. The water from the island well was not good and 
the settlers melted snow to drink in its stead. The supply of wood 
was insufficient. The men became too weak to grind wheat in 



ST. CROIX ISLAND 





16 


COASTAL MAINE 


the hand mill. Worse than all besides there broke out a malig¬ 
nant form of scurvy which they did not understand and for which 
they had no remedy. Amidst circumstances so adverse even the 
cheerful dispositions of the French gave way, and of the seventy- 
nine colonists, thirty-five died during that inclement winter. In 
March the Indians brought game for which the French made such 
return as they were able. De Monts’ anxiety was great, but while 
he was making plans to aid his unfortunate people, to his unbounded 
joy vessels arrived bringing provisions from France. 

De Monts, accompanied by Champlain and other companions, 
explored southwestward as far as Cape Cod to find a better location 
for his colony, and seeing no place which he deemed suitable, he 
returned to St. Croix and removed his followers to Port Royal. 
There, with regret, we 
bid de Monts good-by. 

He was a man of pure 
life, fearless, earnest, 
and true. He loved ad¬ 
venture and one of our 
historians happily has 
termed him a splendid 
old viking of the sea. 

To him it was a great 
joy to brave the dangers 
of the ocean and to 
thread his way through 

the maze of islands to the end that he might bring some of them 
to fruitful settlement. 

The next summer Champlain revisited the abandoned site of 
St. Croix. He found some garden vegetables growing and some 
wheat in a thriving condition. In 1610 Poutrincourt touched at 
the island and had prayers offered for the dead reposing there. 
A year or two later the members of a French trading expedition 
wintered in the deserted buildings, and the following summer the 
Englishman Argali destroyed every remaining vestige of the setttle- 
ment. Its location was soon forgotten. Nearly two centuries 
later American and British commissioners while trying to deter¬ 
mine the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, found 
some buried remains of the old fortifications, thus establishing 





COASTAL MAINE 


17 


beyond a doubt the identity of the island and the St. Croix River 
of the old French explorers. 

Late in the summer of 1604 while de Monts’ colonists were 
engaged so busily with the building of St. Croix, Champlain with 
a few men sailed down the river in a large open boat, or patasche, 
and cruised along the western coast. On the way some rocks were 
encountered and a hole made in the boat in such a manner that 
the men barely escaped being lost. Close by was an island from- 
which arose a long range of mountains. The unusual aspect of 
the place impressed the appreciative mind of Champlain. At that 
time this island in the midst of the great solitudes of the New 

World had been viewed 
by only a few Europeans 
and the great explorer 
called it Isle des Monts 
Deserts. 

In the royal court of 
France there was living 
a noblewoman. Madam 
de Gurcherville, a lady 
of honor to the queen. 
Madam de Gurcherville 
was a devout Catholic, a 
staunch defender of the 
Jesuits, and a lady im¬ 
bued with compassionate 
pity for the poor heathen of Acadia, as the French were wont 
to call this part of the world. At length she decided to send 
thither a missionary colony. The queen gave money to forward 
the project and the court ladies followed suit to assure the finan¬ 
cial success of the undertaking. Horses, goats, and the necessary 
implements for the work of the colony were provided. In the 
early spring of 1613 the expedition sailed from Honfleur for the 
Penobscot. Captain Flory was master of the ship, and Sieur de la 
Saussaye was the governor of the colonists. Father Quentin, a Jesuit 
missionary, and Gilbert du Thet, a lay brother, were aboard. Forty- 
eight settlers, artisans, and laborers made the complement of men. 

After a month’s voyage the expedition sighted La Heve, and 
calling at Port Royal, it was learned that famine had scattered the 



Lafayette National Park 

fernald’s point ( extreme left) 




18 


COASTAL MAINE 


settlers to the woods to seek food. The Jesuit priests, Father Biard 
and Father Masse, were found and taken aboard, and the colonists 
proceeded towards their chosen destination. “But God willed it 
otherwise,” wrote Father Biard, “for when we had reached the 
southeastern coast of the Island of Manan, the weather changed, 
and the sea was covered with a fog so dense that we could not dis¬ 
tinguish day from night. We were greatly alarmed, for the place 
is full of breakers and rocks, upon which, in darkness, we feared 
our vessel might drift. As the wind did not permit us to put out 
to sea, we remained in this position two days and two nights, tack¬ 
ing sometimes one way, sometimes the other, as God inspired us. 
Our tribulation led us to pray to God to deliver us from danger 
and to send us to some place where we might contribute to His 
glory. He heard us in His mercy, for the same evening we began 
to discover the stars, and in the morning the fog had cleared away. 
Then we discovered that we were near the coast of Mount Desert, 
an island which the savages call Pementic. The pilot steered us 
to the eastern shore and landed us in a large and beautiful harbor. 
We returned thanks to God, elevating the cross and singing praises 
with the holy Sacrifice of Mass. We named the place Saint Sauveur.” 

Some Indians came down to the ships and invited the French 
to visit their chief. The invitation being declined, the natives 
became more insistent and declared that their chief, who was very 
sick, would die unbaptised if the strangers did not come. The 
appeal was not in vain and Father Biard with an interpreter went 
with the Indians in canoes to the southern part of the island only 
to find the chief reasonably well and hale. It would seem that 
the red men wished the French to settle there and their ruse suc¬ 
ceeded. Father Biard’s fancy was captivated by the country and 
to him it appeared a favorable and beautiful place for habitation. 
The priest returned and persuaded his companions to bring round 
the ships and see for themselves. The land had “a pleasing slope 
rising gently from the sea and bathed on its two sides by two 
springs.” An area of about twenty-five acres was clear of trees. 
The soil was rich and dark and fertile and the grass grew to the 
height of a man’s head. The “port and harbor” were “the finest 
that one could behold.” The other leaders agreed with Father 
Biard, and giving up all thought of the Penobscot, it was decided 
to remain at Mount Desert. 


COASTAL MAINE 


19 


The colonists set up the cross, and straightway began to work 
and dispute, and in this course they continued. La Saussaye wished 
to devote the first energy of the colony to agriculture, while other 
prominent members of the expedition were desirous of erecting 
buildings and fortifications. In spite of dissension, however, prog¬ 
ress was made. The powerful influence of the black-robed Jesuits 
was over all, and the religious purpose of the colony never for a 
moment was forgotten. “The conversion of the heathen was the 
motive of the settlement; the natives venerated Biard as a messen¬ 
ger from heaven, and under the summer sky, around a cross in the 
center of the hamlet, matins and vespers were regularly chanted.’^ 

It was a picture of high hopes and bright prospects. Week 
after week the settlers labored with feelings of perfect security. 
But an unknown danger was impending, and one day a vessel at 
sea was seen bearing in towards the newly born settlement. The 
strange ship was the Treasure, commanded by Captain Samuel 
Argali, of Virginia. Apparently on a peaceful fishing voyage, 
Argali in reality bore a commission authorizing him to expel in¬ 
truders from the possessions of King James. The French were 
nowise prepared for an attack. Their largest ship with sails un¬ 
bent and put up for an awning, swung quietly at anchor. The 
mate and a few of the crew were aboard, while the governor and 
most of his men were ashore. The pilot shoved off to meet the 
incoming vessel, but alarmed at the show of hostile intent, he hid 
behind an island. 

The English came on swiftly with drums sounding and trumpets 
blowing, and promptly fired a volley at the French ships. The 
few Frenchmen on board, at first surprised and excited, were 
unable to return the fire until the energetic du Thet took a match 
and caused their cannon to speak as loudly as did the enemy’s. 
Unfortunately the young churchman forgot to take aim. The 
defenders somewhat recovered, attempted to better their plight, but 
their tactics were in vain. A second volley from the Treasure 
sufficed. Captain Flory and three of his men were hurt and 
du Thet, mortally wounded, fell across the tiller. The French 
leaped overboard and swam ashore, excepting two who were 
drowned before they could reach the land. Hunger soon com¬ 
pelled all the fugitives and would-be settlers to return and sur¬ 
render. The brave du Thet was buried where the cross had stood; 


20 


COASTAL MAINE 


and thus, before it fairly had begun, Madam de Gurcherville’s 
colony came to its end. 

Other localities in Maine, we believe, were settled permanently 
before Castine; but in its fullness of history and romance and 
beauty Castine stands among the subdivisions of our State with 
scarcely a peer. Characters who played active and exciting parts 
in our new-world drama have lived there, and intrigue and intense 
rivalry have added to the interest of the story. To make our state¬ 
ments more replete, we may add that within the last three cen¬ 
turies Castine has been possessed by four different nations, and has 
changed from one to another nine times. 

In 1630 the Plymouth colony established a trading post at 
Bagaduce, or Pentagoet, earlier names that were given to the 
present peninsula of Castine. Three years later the French drove 
out the colonial traders who went back to Plymouth. Just before 
this event a French Knight of Malta, named Razillai, had been 
made governor of Acadia and under him had been appointed two 
deputies, one of whom, D’Aulney, had proceeded promptly to 
dispossess the Plymouth folks of their trading station, as just 
related, and to construct a small, but strong and well-planned fort 
at Pentagoet, and the other, la Tour, was stationed in a strongly 
fortified position at St. John. D’Aulney seems to have held 
authority over the country between the Penobscot and St. Croix, 
and la Tour over a good part of the present Province of New 
Brunswick. Within a short time Razillai died and each deputy 
wished to succeed him. The men were rivals in trade, inordinate 
in ambition, and each cherished a cordial dislike for the other. 
Both were selfish, unscrupulous, and determined. To make the 
situation still worse, D’Aulney was a Catholic, la Tour a Protestant. 
Conditioned thus, the two Frenchmen engaged in a desperate strug¬ 
gle for supremacy. 

D’Aulney mustered all his forces, sailed to St. John, and block¬ 
aded la Tour. Lady la Tour, a woman of singular beauty and 
presence, whose will and devotion were likely to prove themselves 
powerful factors in the contest, helped her husband to escape and 
the two went to Boston to invoke aid. The wily Puritans hated 
D’Aulney, yet they thought it politic to remain neutral. There¬ 
fore they rendered la Tour no direct assistance, but suggested that 
he might obtain vessels at his own expense and enlist volunteers. 



PULPIT ROCK, CASTINE 

















22 


COASTAL MAINE 


Having accepted this plan, la Tour with his new-found forces 
attempted, without success, to rout D’Aulney from Pentagoet. 
Two years later la 7Tur, together with some of the English colo¬ 
nists of Maine, made another move against D’Aulney; but appar¬ 
ently finding the fort at Pentagoet stronger than they had antici¬ 
pated, they did not attempt a direct attack, but landed and burned 
a farm house some distance from the fortification and killed the 
cattle they found there. In this affair one of the colonial leaders 
and one of the French defenders lost their lives. 

In the days that followed D’Aulney nourished his hatred and 
bided his time, until learning one day that la Tour was absent 
from St. John and believing that the opportune time had come, 
he threw his forces against the river fort the second time. He 
had not reckoned however on the spirit of Lady la Tour who 
with splendid courage summoned her warring followers to their 
posts, and taking command, defended her position with such skill 
and zeal that D’Aulney, wrathful and humiliated, and suffering 
a heavy loss of men, was compelled to return home. 

Another two years passed by and again in the absence of la Tour, 
D’Aulney made another raid on the fort at St. John. Again Lady 
la Tour took up the defence with heroism and success; but in the 
hour of triumph a mean soul within her own garrison turned 
traitor and the fight was lost. D’Aulney stripped the fortification 
and trading post of everything of value and satiated his brutal 
revenge by causing Lady la Tour to be led by a halter about her 
neck while she was compelled to witness the execution of every 
man of her garrison save the guard who had betrayed it. The 
brave woman was taken a captive to Port Royal and died there a 
short time afterward. 

La I'our was left without means or power, and, after a few 
futile ventures, became a bankrupt, an exile, and a wanderer. 
D’Aulney lived at Port Royal where he enjoyed a brief season of 
prosperity and undisputed control, until by some mischance he was 
drowned. Then followed the event that lends color to the oft 
quoted remark that fact is stranger than fiction. La Tour returned 
and married D’Aulney’s widow, thus uniting the two conflicting 
claims and coming in turn to the possession of those rights^ for 
which he had contended so many years. 


COASTAL MAINE 


23 


Under D’Aulney’s protection Feather Leo, a Capuchin priest, 
had caused a little chapel to be erected at Pentagoet. About the 
middle of the seventeenth century Major Sedgwick made an expe¬ 
dition of conquest along the Acadian coast and Pentagoet passed 
to the English and was held by them for twelve years. During 
this time the French occupants and the mission were allowed to 
remain undisturbed, and in 
1667 in accordance with 
the Treaty of Breda this 
little outpost passed back 
into the hands of the 
French, who retained 
possession of it for the 
greater part of a century. 

During those years there 
were seasons when this 
little hamlet in the Maine 
wilderness loomed big with 
possibilities in the thoughts 
of European statesmen. 

Men high in government, 

Richelieu and Mazarin of 
France schemed against the 
contemporary statesmen of 
England, we believe, in 
the contemplated establish¬ 
ment here of the capital of 
a mighty new-world em¬ 
pire; and to-day as the 
traveler visits little Cas- 
tine, he cannot escape the 
fancy of the great city that would have grown there if some of 
the well-laid plans of France had not turned awry. 

In the year 1665 a French regiment was sent to Canada to 
defend the settlement at Quebec from the Iroquois. Among the 
soldiers was a young nobleman of France, the Baron Castin, who 
when his regiment was disbanded the following year, instead of 
returning to his chateau on a slope of the sunny Pyrenees, or remain¬ 
ing and adapting himself to the life of Upper Canada, elected to 


f- 



BARON CASTIN 





24 


COASTAL MAINE 


cast his lot with the Tarrantines at Pentagoet. This strange, 
unconventional man lived in his adopted home many years, and 
intensified the shadings and romance of the fast-bound shores and 
dark forests of the region, which on account of his having lived 
there, we now call Castine. 

At the time of his coming Castin recently had attained his 
majority, and he looked at the world through eyes neither staid 
nor prosaic. “He entered thoroughly into his new mode of life. 



INDIAN BAR-CASTINE 


He conformed himself in all respects to the manners and customs 
of the natives,” observed Abbe Reynal. He dressed in Indian 
costume and he acquired a fluent mastery of the Indian tongue. 
Like a true gallant he married a daughter of Madockawando, the 
powerful chief of the tribe. He lived among the simple redmen 
and so completely did he gain their loyalty that they created him 
a sagamore of the Tarrantines. Throughout the thirty years that 
he lived at Pentagoet he was counted by his copper-colored friends 
as a sympathetic counselor and a wise brother whose judgment was 
not to be gainsaid. He seemed content with his lot and declared 








COASTAL MAINE 


25 


that he preferred the forests of Acadia to the valley of the 
Pyrenees where he was born. 

However well he may have been understood by the savages, the 
Baron was a puzzle to his fellow Frenchmen who confessed 
frankly that they could not explain his conduct. In our day his 
course is by no means inexplicable. Doubtlessly the Penobscot 
maiden whom he married was not the least of the ties that bound 
him to the New World. Moreover, Castin was fond of adven¬ 
ture, and like the common run of men he had a love for money. 
He saw the way to gain both adventure and wealth at Pentagoet. 
Soon after his arrival there Castin erected a “fortified house,” and 
immediately entered into an active and profitable trade. The* red- 
men, returning from their hunting expeditions, sold him their 
beaver skins and other rich furs for a trifle compared with the 
real value. The peltry was shipped to France and sold for good 
money, and on the return trips supplies were brought from the 
mother country with which to carry on further lucrative trade 
with the Indians. There was no hue and cry about monopoly 
then. In all his dealings with the children of the forests, Castin 
was fair and honest as far as they could understand, and with 
numerous little gifts in addition to the prices paid in trade, he 
retained their faith and good will to the last. 

In all respects Castin was a man of good common sense,—a 
thorough business man. There is evidence enough that he desired 
to live on good terms with his English neighbors at the west, but 
they would not have it so. Part of the time Castin was in dis¬ 
favor with the Acadian governor since it was charged, probably 
with truth, that he carried on an interdicted trade with the Massa¬ 
chusetts colonies. So between his neighbors, both French and 
English, Castin was subjected to many annoyances and his position 
was not always an easy one. But it mattered little, for he was 
a man of strength and determination, and he prospered year after 
year until his wealth was estimated at fully two hundred and fifty 
thousand crowns “in good dry gold,” a considerable fortune in those 
days. He was enterprising and daring; yet, judged by his life 
record, he was gifted with tact and self-restraint. He possessed 
the independence to follow the course he liked best and repeated 
importunities to give up his “idle life” and to live “like a nobleman 
and gentleman” fell on deaf ears. 


26 


COASTAL MAINE 


Without doubt, something of exaggeration and misconception was 
gathered into the reports of Castings personal life. The remark 
that he was “by birth a gentleman and a savage by choice” stuck 
because it was a striking figure more than on account of its literal 
truth. Although Parkman refers to the Baron’s “Indian harem,” 
we believe it truthfully can be said that Castin had but one wife 
and that he sought to impress the Indians with the European notions 
of marriage and morality. 

The Baron’s life was strenuous and sometimes exciting. Occa¬ 
sionally he accompanied the redskins on their hunting trips and 
gained new knowledge and a new pleasure in the primeval woods, 
threaded as they were with streams and lakes. At one time he 
took an active part in attacks on the strongholds of western Maine. 
The governor of Quebec courted the favor of Castin and his 
strength was respected by the authorities of New England. 
Although conservative and like all tradesmen inclined to peace, 
yet he was no laggard in war. Soon after his coming to Pentagoet 
a Flemish privateer with two hundred men aboard came into the 
harbor and took the fort by surprise. De Chambly in command 
of the garrison defended the stronghold in a lively fight, while 
Castin mixed fiercely in the fray. It was only when the com¬ 
mander was wounded that the place was surrendered. The in¬ 
vaders dismantled and pillaged the fort and hamlet, and not for¬ 
getting to take de Chambly, whom they held for ransom, sailed 
away. At the same time Castin was hastening through the north¬ 
ern forests to carry the news of the disaster to Quebec. 

As the years passed on the Baron gave more and more attention 
to the affairs of trade and less to defence, so that finally the fort 
declined to a mere commercial post that was incapable of offering 
stout resistance. During this latter period more than once Castin 
was obliged to seize what portable possessions he could and flee to 
the protecting woods. Some eighty years ago a few pieces of 
silver were trodden out of the soil along the old trail leading from 
the peninsula, and a careful search resulted in the recovery of old 
Spanish coins to the value of about $2000. There is little doubt 
that this money was either lost or concealed by Castin on one of 
his hasty exits from home. 

When Sir Edmund Andros was governor of New England he 
sailed eastward to Pentagoet only to find the settlement deserted. 


COASTAL MAINE 


27 


Sir Edmund was disappointed, for he had hoped to meet the noted 
Frenchman whose manner of life was so unlike that of other men. 
But Castin had counted safety first, evidently with no desire to 
meet the haughty English governor. It would have been better, 
could he have taken his more bulky possessions with him to the 
■ forest. Andros spared the Catholic chapel, since he, too, was of 
the same religious faith as was Castin; but he stripped the fort, 
the trading post, and the Baron’s dwelling of arms, goods, and 
furnishings, and conveyed his ill-gotten spoils to western Maine 
for distribution among the Indian sachems. At the same time he 
sent a messenger to tell the Frenchman that he could have back 
his goods if he would swear allegiance to the English king. 

By this time Castin had become weary of being plundered and 
his ire was thoroughly aroused, and all the more because he looked 
upon the proposal that he should disown his native country as an 
insult. He had never pretended to be a saint and now his indig¬ 
nation welled up and surged within him. It mattered not that 
Sir Edmund’s wantonness was disowned afterwards by the Massa¬ 
chusetts Colony, which proffered generous terms of settlement for 
all the injuries that had been inflicted. Some historians infer that 
the Baron was bent on ushering in a sorry day for the frontier 
settlements of New England, but conclusive evidence of the fact, 

if it be a fact, is want¬ 
ing. It is certain, how¬ 
ever, that ere long for 
one reason and another 
the Indians in Maine 
came into conflict with 
the settlers. It has been 
charged, truly or other¬ 
wise, that the French 
took a part in inciting 
the redmen to acts of 
aggression. After the 
struggle had continued 
here two years, England 
and France again engaged in war and the fires of a more extensive 
destruction swept abroad in New England. Then it is certain that 
Castin and Father Thury worked hand in hand with their Indian 



HOLBROOK ISLAND THOROUGHFARE 




28 


COASTAL MAINE 


associates and that the governor of Quebec helped on their 
efforts. In those unhappy years that followed the plundering of 
the Baron’s fort at Pentagoet, the settlements of present-day 
Yarmouth, Portland, Berwick, and York were well nigh wiped 
out of existence. The stronghold at Pemaquid was dismantled 
and left in ruins. Bands of Indians and French, sometimes 
accompanied by Castin, ranged throughout the Province of Maine, 
and fell destruction and devastation stalked in their pathway. 
Every English settlement as far west as Wells was abandoned. 
After a few years Castin withdrew from active participation in 
the contest, but the conflict continued nearly ten years. From 
its beginning nobody in Maine questioned the energy and power 
of Castin. In our histories the struggle usually is called the 
Second Indian War, but when the circumstances leading to it 
were fresh in men’s minds, it often was spoken of as Baron 
Castin’s War. 

Castin now was past the meridian of life. His daughters had 
grown to womanhood and with substantial dowries settled upon 
them had all married Frenchmen of adequate positions and pros¬ 
pects. The Baron had sought adventure and wealth and had found 
both. But after all his success it may be that the French noble¬ 
man had grown tired of his active life in the New Worldj or, 
perchance, mandates not to be disregarded came from his superiors 
in his mother country. Be all that as it may, he returned to his 
native France. A little while afterwards one of the French 
settlers at Port Royal wrote: “At the time of Castin’s departure, 
his countrymen did not know how to judge him better than in the 
earlier days of his career.” 

Anselm, the Baron’s eldest son, succeeded to the establishment 
at Pentagoet and became the sagamore of the Tarrantines. More¬ 
over, he was a military officer under the King of France and 
possessed a splendid French uniform which he seldom wore, inas¬ 
much as he preferred the simple dress of his people. Soon after 
the withdrawal of the elder Castin, some unprincipled Englishmen 
under the guise of friendship gained access to Pentagoet and robbed 
the unsuspecting Anselm of all his goods. From that time he 
seems to have given but little attention to trade, but to have fol¬ 
lowed more and more the wandering habits of his tribe. He once 
went to France to attempt to regain possession of his father’s estate 


COASTAL MAINE 


29 


of which he had been deprived. Throughout his life Anselm was 
friendly to the English and sometimes returned good for indigni¬ 
ties that were crowded on him, and he always used his influence to 
restrain his Tarrantines 
from acts of warfare. 

Meantime events were 
shaping new courses and 
since the French and 
Indian power in west¬ 
ern Acadia was waning, 
the influence of the 
younger Castin gradu¬ 
ally declined. 

While the French 
were promoting the 
several settlements of 
which we have spoken, 
a tide of English colonization from the west was setting in towards 
them. The two contending forces were destined to meet at the 
medial point of our Maine coast and engage in a fight for supremacy 
which was to continue a full century and a half before it would be 
evident to which side permanent possession of the disputed territory 
would be given. Jealousy and war between the mother countries 

were to add greater bitterness 
and determination to the con¬ 
flict here, and all in all, the 
events in that period constitute 
one of the most interesting 
chapters of American history. 

In 1602 Bartholomew Gos- 
nold had sailed along the 
Maine shores and among other 
places where he may have 
come, we know that he visited 
the Isles of Shoals. The fol¬ 
lowing year Martin Bring with 
his little Speedwell and smaller Discoverer came over on a trading 
voyage and sailed into Penobscot Bay. Afterwards he coasted as 
far south as Massachusetts. King James wishing to know more 



CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF 
HOLY HOPE 
(On site of Castin’s Chapel) 


?■ 



SITE OF THE MISSIONS AND 
FORT MADISON 








30 


COASTAL MAINE 


about the new country and also to keep watch of the French, sent 
thither Captain George Waymouth in the Archangel, in 1605. 
Nantucket was the first land sighted, from which a northerly 

course was taken, and May 17 
the Archangel anchored before 
Monhegan. Immediately Cap¬ 
tain Waymouth landed to ob¬ 
tain wood and water. While 
the captain and his party were 
ashore, according to Rosier, 
the historian of the expedition, 
“Our men aboard with a few 
hooks got about thirty great 
Cods and Haddocks.” The 
island itself was “woody, grown with Firre, Burch, Oke and 
Beech, as farre as we saw along the shore. On the verge grew 
Gooseberries, Strawberries, Wild Pease, and Wild Rose bushes. 
The water issued forth down the Rocky Cliffes in many places, 
and much fowle of divers kinds bred upon the shore and rocks.” 

On account of exposure to the violence of the sea, Waymouth 
remained only two days at Monhegan, after which he sailed 
towards the mainland and anchored within the protected recess of 
an island harbor at the mouth 
“it pleased God to send us far 
beyond our expectation, in a 
more safe berth, defended 
from all winds, in an excel¬ 
lent depth of water for ships 
of any burden, and which was 
named Pentecost Harbor.” 

Rejoicing in a secure haven, 
everybody remained there near¬ 
ly two weeks, some of the men 
cutting wood, fishing, and for 
the very love of the thing, 
planting a little garden in which 
the young plants came up and grew with surprising rapidity, while 
others in the crew were busy putting together the parts of a pinnace 
which had been brought aboard the Archangel from England. 


of the St. George river, to which 



PENTECOST HARBOR 



MONHEGAN 








COASTAL MAINE 


31 


In the latter part of May, having set up a cross, “a thing never 
omitted by a Christian traveler,” to affirm England’s possession of 
the country. Captain Waymouth began to explore the region to 
which he had come. There is something very human about the 
movements of Waymouth and his followers, lured on as they were 
by the wonders of a mysterious and romantic country; and their 
actions are paralleled in many respects, we think, by not a few of 
our present-day tourists who become enamored with^the subtle 
charm of the Maine coast. 

When Captain Waymouth was away, the Indians frequently 
visited the men who were left with the Archangel to trade their 
furs for knives and other utensils and knicknacks that were precious 
to their untutored minds. On these visits the savages fell into the 
habit of bringing fishes, fruits, shrubs, and the like to Rosier and 
looking on with great interest while he wrote the names of the 
different objects on paper. It was noticed with quiet amusement, 
doubtlessly, that the Indians were in great fear of the dogs aboard 
the ship. One day some of the redskins were invited to stay to 
supper; and not long afterwards when the Englishmen went ashore, 
they were greeted with unusual politeness by the natives and seated 
on deerskins among the Indians who were chatting and laughing 
around their fires. Presently a large tobacco pipe made of a lob¬ 
ster’s claw, was passed round among them. At that time smoking 
was a new proposition to the English, but they sucked in the smoke 
just as their hosts did and called it “drinking tobacco.” As to what 
the immediate effects were, we are told nothing. Anticipating the 
parlance of our own time, this was the first “smoker” of which 
we have record. 

Without question Waymouth’s most interesting experience was 
the discovery of the St. George, and in June he took the Archangel 
and his full crew up the river which he previously had ascended in 
the pinnace. Everybody was pleased and enthusiastic. “The river 
itself,” it is recorded, “runneth up into the main very nigh forty 
miles towards the high mountains.” It was a magnificent water¬ 
course, “often a mile in width, sometimes three-quarters, and half 
a mile at the narrowest”; and as they observed the succession of 
“very gallant coves, some able to containe almost a hundred saile,” 
and “the land tending all along on both sides in an equall plaine, 
neither mountainous nor rocky, but verged with a greene border 


32 


COASTAL MAINE 


of grass behind which were good woods,” the enthusiasm of the 
explorers was unbounded. “This place of itself from God and 
nature affordeth as much of diversity of good commodities as any 
reasonable man can wish for present habitation and planting.” 
Where the river narrowed (the 
present site of Thomaston vil¬ 
lage) they landed to explore 
the country in the direction of 
the hills “where no Christian 
had been before.” “In this 
march we passed over very 
good ground, pleasant and fer¬ 
tile, fit for pasture, having but 
little wood and that Oke, like 
stands left in our pastures in 
England, good and great, fit 
timber for any use. And surely it did resemble a stately Parke, 
wherein appears some old trees with high, withering tops, and 
others flourishing with living green boughs. Upon the hills grew 
notable high timber trees, masts for ships of 400 Tun.” 

When at length Waymouth felt that the purpose of his expe¬ 
dition was nearly accomplished, he kidnapped five unsuspecting 

braves, thrust them into the 
hold of the Archangel, and 
not long afterwards sailed to 
Britain. Thus at the very end 
he marred what was otherwise 
one of the most happy of 
American voyages. His action 
toward the savages was an 
indefensible wrong and the 
height of folly as well. He 
had no means of knowing what 
evil the act might entail; and 
certainly he had no reason to 
suppose that the unstudied friendship and. trust of the simple red- 
men ever again would be the same. 

Aroused by the reports of Pring and Waymouth, prominent men 
in England organized the Plymouth Company for the purpose of 



ENTRANCE TO THE ST. GEORGE 



LOOKING UP THE ST. GEORGE 






COASTAL MAINE 


33 


establishing colonies on the American coast. After a century of 
the wildest credulence and of more or less futile exploits, as con¬ 
cerned the new continent, England now deemed it expedient to 
establish habitations there to the end of developing new enterprise 
and trade and to bound the confines of France and Spain in the 
New World. 

As early as 1606 the Plymouth Company sent two ships with 
colonists to make a settlement within the present bounds of Maine. 
One vessel, the Richard, after various delays finally fell into the 
hands of the Spanish and was detained. The other ship made a 
successful passage and arrived in the St. George region, and while 
waiting for its consort, spent the time in making further explora¬ 
tion of the coast. When the season became late, and the Richard 
had not appeared, these would-be colonists returned to England. 

Lord John Popham, Chief Justice of England, and Sir Ferdi- 
nando Gorges, both active promoters of colonization, made imme¬ 
diate preparations to renew the attempt. Accordingly late in May, 
1607, the Gift of God in command of Captain George Popham, 
the nephew of the chief justice, and the Mary and John in com¬ 
mand of Captain Raleigh Gilbert, a nephew of Sir Walter Raleigh 
and the son of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, sailed from Plymouth with 
120 colonists, or “planters,” aboard. 

Gorges in after years while considering the characteristics of the 
men who composed this expedition, referred to Captain Popham 
as “ould and of unwildy body, and timorously fearful to ofiFend 
or contend with others that will or do oppose him”; yet he was 
“honest” and “a discrete and careful man.” Raleigh Gilbert 
possessed “too little zeal for religion” and was “headstrong and 
of small judgement, otherwise valiant enough.” The planters 
“were not such as they ought,” and Sir Ferdinando added that 
“there must go other manner of spirits” to successfully plant a 
colony in America. The evidence mostly goes to show that the 
qualifications of these men were not of the best,—in fact, no better 
than those of de Monts’ Frenchmen at St. Croix. They seem to 
have been adventurers, and very likely in accord with the custom 
of their time were recruited largely from the ale-houses, poor- 
houses, and jails of England. Probably they possessed little zeal 
or physical fitness for the work that they were expected to do. 
Instead of subduing the wilderness by hard labor, it is likely they 


3 


34- 


COASTAL MAINE 


expected to uncover mines and engage in commercial undertakings 
that would enrich them all. This seems probable enough when 
the minds of their superiors were imbued with the same visionary 
thoughts and all people seemed eager to credit any absurdity con¬ 
cerning the remarkable American wilds. 

On account of an adventure with some Flemish vessels, the 
two ships fell apart west of the Azores islands, not to meet 
again, as it turned out, until they had reached their destination. 
Captain Gilbert sighted land late in July and immediately an¬ 
chored a little distance from the shore. The historian of the 
expedition relates how they “tooke a great stor of cod fysches 
the biggest & largest I ever saw or any man in our ship”; 
and he tells of a visit to the vessel next day of “eight savage 

men and a little sav¬ 
age boy in a Spanish 
shallop.” After tarry¬ 
ing three or four days 
the English weighed an¬ 
chor and in their course 
“saw islands of great 
bigness and many great 
sounds between them”; 
and very soon, hastened 
on by favoring winds, 
the Mary and John 
stood before the St. 
George Islands where Waymouth had set the cross only two years 
before. Scarcely had Captain Gilbert found a satisfactory anchor¬ 
age when a vessel was seen coming in towards the island. Gilbert 
hastened out to meet it and with great joy everybody recognized 
the Gift of God with Captain Popham and all his men on board. 
The two ships sailed into the. harbor together and anchored there. 

With Captain Gilbert was Skidwarres, one of the Indians whom 
Captain Waymouth had captured when about to return to the Old 
World. The brave, now filled with a strong yearning for his 
own people and his boyhood haunts, wished to return immediately 
to his home on the mainland nearby. Therefore, at midnight the 
captain manned a boat and with the impatient Skidwarres hastened 
to land near Pemaquid. As the English approached the wigwams 



SEGUIN 




COASTAL MAINE 


35 


of the Indians, the redskins with a vivid remembrance of Way- 
mouth’s treachery, hastily rushed forth with bows and arrows in 
hand, to drive them back if necessary. At the head of the natives 
was Nahanada who also 
had been captured with 
Skidwarres, but returned 
by the ship that had 
reached the St. George 
the preceding summer. 

As soon as the warriors 
saw the former captive 
they became more pa¬ 
cific and finally came 
forward to join in a 
hearty welcome. 

The following Sun¬ 
day the two captains with most of the men landed on one of the 
islands which helped to form Pentecost Harbor (St. George’s Har¬ 
bor) and there with his congregation overlooked by the deep forest 
and itself overlooking the throbbing sea. Rev. Richard Seymour 
delivered the first sermon preached in Maine. 

Wednesday both captains with suitable crews, the one in a shal¬ 
lop, the other in his ship’s boat, ran off two leagues towards Seguin 
in search of the Sagadahoc. Popham the next day found his way 

into the river and an¬ 
chored; but mistaking 
Seguin, Gilbert passed 
by. In the night a tem¬ 
pest arose and amidst 
great perils captain and 
crew succeeded in plac¬ 
ing their ship within the 
shelter of two islands. 
When the storm had 
subsided, they headed 
back to Seguin, whence 
assisted by Captain Popham, as the soft twilight was falling over 
them they made their way into the Sagadahoc. After consider¬ 
able searching for a suitable site for their settlement the leaders 








36 


COASTAL MAINE 


chose Sabino, near the mouth of the river, and began to rear their 
colony. 

Meantime Captain Gilbert 'with a few men in his ship’s boat 
explored the coast to the west and ‘‘sailed by many gallant Illands” 
as far as Cape Elizabeth. Returning, he made another tour to 
the east. Afterwards he went up the river to some place a short 
distance above the site of the future Augusta. In this trip it is 
recorded that when he was two days up the river he came to an 
island where he found “a greate store of grapes of two sorts both 
red, but the one of them a marvelous deep red.” 



Popham Beach Steamboat Co. 
FORT POPHAM AND SABINO HEAD 


The colonists had made a good start and also had learned con¬ 
siderable about their surroundings. Everything appeared favorable 
for the foundation of a prosperous settlement on this pleasant coast. 
Captain Popham, the president, seemed well pleased. A fort sup¬ 
plied with twelve pieces of ordinance protected the dwellings, the 
church, and the storehouse. Moreover under the direction of one 
Digby, a ship carpenter from London, the colonists built the first 
ship made in America, the Virginia, a pinnace of thirty tons. The 






COASTAL MAINE 


37 


Mary and John departed for England during the middle autumn 
and all preparations for winter having been made, in December 
Captain Popham sent the Gift of God back to the mother country 
and at the same time forwarded the following letter to the king: 

“So far as relates to commerce there are in these parts shagbarks, 
nutmegs and cinnamon, besides pine wood and Brazillian cochineal 
and ambergris, with many other products of great value and these 
in the greatest abundance. 

“Besides they positively assure me that there is a great sea in the 
opposite or western part of the province, distant not more than 
seven days from our fort of St. George in Sagadahoc—a sea large, 
wide and deep, the boundaries of which they are wholly ignorant 
of. This cannot be other than the southern ocean, reaching to 
the regions of China, which, unquestionably cannot be far from 
these regions.” 

The winter commenced early and was severe; according to all 
accounts we have, it was a season that well may have tried the 
souls of the colonists. 

Doubtlessly there was 
some hardship, possibly 
some suffering, and cer¬ 
tainly from the circum¬ 
stantial evidence, a deal 
of discontent. In the 
midst of it all Captain 
Popham died and Ra¬ 
leigh Gilbert succeeded 
to the presidency of the 
colony. Before the end 
of the cold season it 
seems that the storehouse was burned. We can imagine how the 
men longed for Old England, although we know little indeed of 
the life and events at Fort St. George. President Popham seems 
to have been the only person who died there and it was not fore¬ 
seen that the colony would be abandoned. 

Early in the spring two ships laden with provisions and supplies 
needed to carry on the work of settlement to its logical conclusion 
were dispatched to Sagadahoc. These vessels brought the tidings 
of the death of Lord Popham, the most influential patron of the 



VIEW FROM SABINO HILL 





38 


COASTAL MAINE 


colony. In the summer another vessel from England arrived at 
Fort St. George bearing the news that Sir John Gilbert, Raleigh 
Gilbert’s brother, also had died. Inasmuch as Raleigh Gilbert 
was his brother’s heir, he determined to return immediately to 
England. It seems that all leadership was thus withdrawn. There 
was no sufficient reason for discouragement and the colony ought 
to have succeeded. However, the settlement was dismantled, the 
ships were laden, and all the colonists went aboard. Probably 
most of the planters were of the sort that welcomed any change. 
“Wherefore they all ymbarked in this new arrived shipp and in 
the new pinnace, the Virginia, and sett saile- for England. And 
this was the end of that northerne colony uppon the river Sach- 
adehoc.” 

Safe in the Old Land once more the members of the Popham 
expedition doubtlessly represented the new country to be intolerably 
cold and sterile and not fit for British habitation. It appeared 
that the project of American colonization had suffered a sharp 
setback, but it could be at most only temporary. It was true that 
the zeal of the Plymouth colony was abated considerably, but on 
the other hand an additional interest in the new country had been 
incited and an additional knowledge had been gained. All people 
who returned from these northern shores to the old countries spread 
the report that these seas were full of fish. All agreed that such 
was the truth and each narrator brought forth some extraordinary 
experience to substantiate the fact. Rosier relates that “one of 
the mates with two hooks at a lead at five draughts together hauled 
up ten fishes. All were generally very great, some measured to 
be five feet long and three feet about.” Although in our less « 
pristine time such rewards hardly come to him who hauls up the 
dripping lines, yet we nevertheless are refreshed, aye, we are encour¬ 
aged to think life more worth while as we peruse the cheerful 
stories of those old fishermen. 

We well can understand why Sir Francis Popham, the heir of 
the Chief Justice, sent ships to the Sagadahoc waters each summer 
and why other Englishmen and Europeans did the same. If 
favored with a good passage, the adventurous little vessels could 
reach the fishing grounds in rather more than a month, and after 
the summer’s work, bearing cargoes sufficient to net substantial 
profits, they could make good their return before the cold weather 


COASTAL MAINE 


39 


set in. As early as 1615 it was reported that more than four 
hundred f'rench and Portuguese vessels were sent annually to the 
Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and two years later a writer from 
Port Royal to Paris declared that the American fisheries were 
worth one million d’or yearly to France. In the summer of 1622 
when the starving Pilgrims sent to Pemaquid for aid, thirty fishing 
ships lay at anchor at Damariscove Island, west of Monhegan, and 
the next summer Captain Levett of England while visiting the 
Sheepscot waters found seven crews there plying their vocation. 
At that time it is likely that more than fifty English fishing vessels 
came regularly to our Maine coast. Possibly there were many 
more. These facts indicate that the fishing industry off our 
shores was an important source of revenue to Europe at a time 
when the foundations of wealth were by no means as deep and 
massive as they are now, and we are reminded that even then 
our Maine bays and harbors possessed an activity that was nowise- 
mean. 

Most interesting of all the voyagers who came hither in that 
period was Captain John Smith, whose life and new-world serv¬ 
ices are worthy of comparison with those of Champlain. Indeed 
these two men in the service of their respective nations ran parallel 
courses in history and we feel that their lives, filled with purpose, 
adventure, and romance, were indispensable factors in the colo¬ 
nization of America. 

Captain Smith witli two ships arrived at Monhegan, “a round 
high isle,’' early in the summer of 1614. He came not to estab¬ 
lish a colony (a project which he longed to carry out), but to take 
whales and to find mines of copper and gold; if he failed in those 
worthy endeavors he tells us that he intended “to fall back on fish 
and fur.” He planned to explore the coastline rather minutely, 
but his first concern, probably, was to make a profit for the owners 
of the ships. 

Whales were sighted and chased, but none were killed, and 
Smith counted whale fishing a costly enterprise. A little time 
may have been spent in the search of mines, but Smith himself 
intimated that that business was not to be engaged in too seriously. 
When all the first of the summer had been consumed to no purpose 
the men “fell back on fish and fur.” “Let not the word fishe 
distaste you,” said Smith; “for it can afford as good gold as the 


40 


COASTAL MAINE 


mines of Guiana with less hazard and more certainty and felicity.” 
Again speaking of this locality about Monhegan, he said that “it 
was the strangest fishing pond ever seen” and that “a hundred fish 
from its waters were in marketable worth equal to two hundred 
of the eastern catch.” And in his enthusiasm he asks: “Is it not 
a pretty sport to pull up two pence, six pence, and twelve pence 
as fast as you can hand and throw a line?” In trading for fur 
he found the Indians to the east largely under the influence of 
the French. Scarcely a dozen miles to the west was one of Sir 
Francis Popham’s vessels which naturally had preempted the trade 
in that locality. Still farther to the west were two French ships 
on a trading voyage. Captain Smith’s field therefore was greatly 
restricted, but he visited many Indian villages and met with con¬ 
siderable success. Although both fishing and trading were com¬ 
menced too late in the season and carried on in the midst of 
unfavorable conditions, yet it appears that when the fish and peltry 
were sold the owners of the ships received about £1400 clear. 

While the main part of the crews were fishing. Captain Smith 
with a few men in a boat was engaged in making a painstaking 
examination of the coast and visiting the natives when the oppor¬ 
tunity offered itself. On the eastern side he reached the Penob¬ 
scot and evidently was impressed with the arrangement and beauty 
of the islands of Penobscot Bay. His impressions of the high and 
rugged coast lands were not as favorable. He marvelled at the 
solidity of the soil and wondered how such large trees could thrive 
in it. “It is a country to affright rather than to delight one,” he 
remarked. Captain Smith also explored west as far as Cape Cod. 
“What sport doth yield a more pleasing content with less hurt or 
charge than crossing the sweet Ayre from He to He on the silent 
streams of a calm Sea?” he inquired. After his return to England 
he made a map of the country he had visited and called it New 
England. On this map also appear the names of Cape Elizabeth 
and other prominent landmarks of the Maine coast as we know 
them to-day. 

Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the father of Maine colonization, was 
born in England in 1566, and was a product of the Elizabethan 
era. Of Norman descent, he was a kinsman of Raleigh, a staunch 
royalist, and a devout Episcopalian. As a soldier in the royal 
service he had suffered wounds in his early life and had been 


COASTAL MAINE 


41 


imprisoned for a time by the queen. Sir Ferdinando has been 
characterized as ‘‘a man of great ambition, very avaricious, and 
very despotic.” Without any considerable financial means he 
evolved plans to bring 
honor to England and 
incidentally to gain 
wealth and influence 
for himself; and for 
the theater of his activi¬ 
ties he chose the New 
World. Gorges had 
induced Arundell and 
others to send out Way- 
mouth’s expedition; and 
when the Popham col¬ 
ony was projected Lord 
Popham and Gorges were its chief sponsors. In later years Gorges 
and Mason acquired a grant of land between the Kennebec and 
Merrimac; and when they thought it expedient to dissolve their 
partnership. Gorges took the land east of the Piscataqua River and 
named it New Somersetshire. 

In Gorges’ new possessions the region about Mount Agamen- 
ticus bore more than passing renown. It had been a locality 
favored by the Indians for many years. And as the mountain is 

to-day a noted land¬ 
mark for mariners 
and a lone sentinel 
guarding the adja¬ 
cent lowlands, so it 
was in other days. 
In places the shores 
are rockbound, but 
in other places long, 
clear outlines of 
sandy beaches sep¬ 
arated the ocean 
from the forests. Solitary Boon Island was not far away, and 
a little to the east was rocky Cape Neddick and nearer still the 
curious little island rock called The Nubble, lying just beyond the 



CAPE NEDDICK RIVER 








42 


COASTAL MAINE 

main. Through the land a little river cleft the great woods, an 
inconsiderable stream; yet at high tide it afforded an inland pas¬ 
sage for vessels for sev¬ 
eral miles. 

As early as 1630 it 
is certain that a pioneer 
bearing the good old 
English name of Ed¬ 
ward Godfrey had been 
attracted by the 
and was settled near 
the mouth of the river. 
There was already a 
settlement at Saco and 
it is possible that there 
were other solitary stations between the present cities of Ports¬ 
mouth and Portland; however that may have been, it is a recorded 
fact that within the next six years colonization had increased 
within this area to such an extent that a court was opened at 
Saco. 

Gorges was interested deeply in this new country and wrote that 
he doubted not that it “would form a very flourishing place, and be 
replenished with many 
faire Towns and cities, 
it being a province both 
fruitful and pleasant.” 

Godfrey’s settlement, 
named Agamenticus, 
had grown, and in 1641 
Sir Ferdinando elevated 
it to a borough with a 
mayor, aldermen, and 
a recorder. Very likely 
his idea was to augment 
the importance of Aga¬ 
menticus and make it 
the center of government in the province,—a sort of shire town. 
In another year Gorges’ ambition for the small township had 
grown so that he added more land to it and made it a city with 












COASTAL MAINE 


43 


an elaborate form of government. Thus within the confines of 
the present town of York was established Gorgeana, the oldest 
chartered city in America. The government was administered by 
a mayor, the aldermen, and the councilmen. The charter made 
provision for a court of justice which was to sit every Monday 
and a market was to be held Wednesday of each week. At this 
time, or a little later, the city could boast of about twenty houses, 
constructed chiefly of logs and sheltering home-made furniture of 
a decidedly rude type, and about this early municipality the wolves 
roamed and howled at night. 


I 



YORK RIVER AND SEWALl’s BRIDGE 


Such was the city of Gorgeana whose population never reached 
three hundred souls. However its corporate form of government 
was maintained some ten years until changed to York by com¬ 
missioners of Massachusetts after Maine had entered the Bay 
Colony fold. 

The growth of a town largely depends cn an advantageous 
location and in this respect Gorgeana had less than many other 







44 


COASTAL MAINE 


places to recommend it; yet had Gorges been a younger man and 
had he come thither in person to take charge of affairs, probably his 
enterprises would have prospered. All the machinery of government 
was centered in him so that he was empowered to rule with strength. 
But he never came to America. He elected instead to direct the 
work from England. As it turned out the colony lived, but it did 
not flourish sufficiently to enrich the promoter; not only that, for the 
expense incident to such an undertaking drained the proprietor’s 
resources heavily. Changes in the old country had turned political 
power completely against him. The effects of such an outcome on a 
grasping, impatient man well may be imagined, and although his pur¬ 
pose and persistent efforts merited a much richer reward, we are not 
surprised to read that Sir Ferdinando Gorges died a disappointed man. 

It is possible however, indeed, it is probable, that the sequel of 
this story is yet to be written as a part of history. The coast towns 
of York County are to-day so advantageously located along the 
thoroughfares of commerce and travel that their continued growth, 

more rapid than in the 
past, is assured. In good 
time they will become 
small cities. In that 
time Maine people will 
know more of the story 
of their State, and will 
appreciate more keenly 
our obligations to the 
memory of Sir Ferdi¬ 
nando Gorges. As yet 
we scarcely have thought 
to honor him. No town 
nor river nor mountain, 
nothing whatever of importance in our commonwealth bears his 
name. Is it too much a stretch of the imagination, or is it drawing 
on sentiment too heavily, to suppose that in the jears to come the 
people of York will elect to take back the name which by every 
right is theirs, and live as citizens of Gorgeana, the oldest of 
American cities.? 

The reputation of the people of Gorgeana would not bear com¬ 
parison with the people of Massachusetts Bay. The most of the 





COASTAL MAINE 


45 


early settlers of that region possessed no great moral stamina, no 
great intellectual strength, and many owned little property, or none. 
According to Baxter, “some came to fish and stayed; some came 
from Massachusetts to get land; and some came with no clearly de¬ 
fined purpose.’’ Some of Cromwell’s own countrymen came to es¬ 
cape the rigor of Puritan rule at home and contributed considerable 
strength of character to 
the city. Laxity in early 
government tended to 
make conditions bad and 
for a time the court had 
plenty of work to do. 

Governor VVinthrop 
wrote: “They run a 
different course from 
ours both in the min¬ 
istry and in their civil 
administration. * * * 

They have made a trai¬ 
tor their mayor, and 
have entertained Mr. Hall, an excommunicated man.” Trained 
in the hard school of colonial life, the people of this part of the 
Province of Maine became efficient and law-abiding citizens, but 
perhaps a whiff of the old-time spirit has come down to us in the 
couplet: 

‘‘Cape Neddick and the Nubble, 

Old York and the Devil.” 

In many respects the early colonists treated the Indians well, but 
there was but little real safety. Indian ravages were not uncom¬ 
mon. Cape Neddick was assailed and nearly destroyed. No one 
ever knew what the morrow would bring forth. The redskins, 
thanks to the wicked treatment received from British ship-captains 
and adventurers, were cunning as well as bitter foes, and the dan¬ 
gers which threatened the settlements of Maine were of a character 
to stir the bravest hearts and the stoutest minds with misgivings. 

Just prior to 1690 there broke out the Second Indian War, wide 
in its scope and fraught with peril to the colonies of New England. 
The French in Canada had joined with the Indians to carry out 
the ruthless plans. Massachusetts sent aid to the weaker Maine 





46 


COASTAL MAINE 


settlements and for a time hostilities were held in check. Never¬ 
theless the day of trial was at hand. One midwinter night a heavy 
snowstorm enveloped southwestern Maine. Amidst the darkness 
the flakes fell in peace and silence and the inhabitants of the vil¬ 
lages slumbered in a sense of security. No other environment 
could have suggested a more complete assurance of safety. But 
Frontenac and his followers at Quebec were wily and alert and 
the redmen were eager and obedient allies. In the dawn of that 
silent morning the unsuspecting village of York was awakened by 
the report of a gun followed by the dreaded warwhoop and the 
blows of tomahawks. The French and Indians were there and 
within an hour half the people w'ere slain and the buildings were 

in flames. About eighty 
of the colony escaped to 
fortified houses in the 
vicinity. The prisoners 
were taken to Canada. 

Although terribly im¬ 
poverished by the dis¬ 
aster, those who were 
left set themselves to 
rebuilding the town. 
Slowly York regained 
its position and after all 
Indian troubles happily 
were past, it expanded rapidly and became a center of industry 
and trade. One John Davis was licensed “to sell wine and strong 
water,” and as far as we can tell everything ran along merrily 
and well. In those days, however, provisions and household com¬ 
modities were very dear and people were compelled to raise their 
food and to make the furnishings for their homes as far as possible. 
About the middle of the eighteenth century flour sold for $71 a 
barrel, sugar for $1.50 a pound, and a teapot and pound of tea 
brought $10. Nowadays we complain vigorously of the high cost 
of living; let us be thankful that our lot was not cast in those days 
when prices were much worse. 

The best preserved institution of old York is the old gaol. It 
bears the unmistakable features of antiquity and we are not as 
much surprised to learn that it was constructed away back in 1653 



MCINTIRE GARRISON HOUSE (1650) 



COASTAL MAINE 


47 


as we are to know that it served for a jail until 1860. It is now 
a museum with an interesting collection of colonial weapons, docu¬ 
ments, and utensils. The old dungeons made of granite and solid 
oak are are as adamantine as they were nearly three centuries ago, 
and to-day, were the cleverest criminal confined in one of them, 
the uninitiated mind at least cannot conjecture how he could escape. 
The ceilings are low and the small, window-like openings in the 



THE OLD JAIL 


granite walls are barred with heavy iron rounds, or with barbed 
bars of iron. Beneath the dungeons is the pit, a dark, damp hole 
for the confinement of refractory prisoners. Perhaps it is as well 
that we do not try to imagine the fright and the anguish of mind 
that have been endured within those old gloomy walls. In the 
early service of the gaol, in accordance with the law, all persons 
committed were first “whipped not exceeding ten stripes.” Some 
of the offenders imprisoned there were deep-dyed rogues worthy 
of the gallows, as judged by the laws of that time, and when 
they went forth, they went to he hanged. Others were com- 





48 


COASTAL MAINE 


mitted for debt and for other offenses that now would seem incon¬ 
sequential, but their punishment was by no means light. 

Among the curious possessions of the museum is the “pirate’s 
Bible,” formerly owned by William Trickey who was supposed 
in his youth to have sailed under the Jolly Roger. The latter part 
of his life was lived at York. He was a moody, silent man, a 
fisherman, disliked by his fellows and suspected of possessing the 
evil eye and holding communion with the devil. And after he 
was dead, in the noise of the tempest and the voice of the moaning 
sea the fishermen used to claim that they heard his voice calling 
“More rope! more rope!” 

From the time of the first Revolutionary turmoil the story of 
York is as interesting as when the town was one of the component 
parts of the Province of Maine. Under the provisions of the 

Townshend Acts a lot 
of tea was shipped to 
this town just as simi¬ 
lar cargoes were sent to 
Boston and other ports. 
A town-meeting was 
called immediately and 
a committee chosen to 
take the tea from the 
vessel and care for it 
until further develop¬ 
ments. The tea was 
removed to the store of 
Captain Grove. The 
following evening a 
party of people, appar¬ 
ently Pickwaket In¬ 
dians, came into the vil¬ 
lage and carried the tea 
away. The tax was 
never paid. 

York sent aid to Boston when that port was closed by the British, 
and the morning after the Battle of Lexington was fought, a 
company of sixty-three York men with arms, ammunition, and 
provisions started for the scene of action. From that time to this 



Photo by Gough 
BALD HEAD CLIFF 






COASTAL MAINE 


49 


soldiers from York and the surrounding country have taken an 
honorable part in all of our nation’s wars. 

In the best days of York’s shipping there were several good 
wharves in the harbor. After the Revolution the town continued 
to hold a prominent name, but on account of its inaccessible and 
crooked harbor it made no permanent commercial or industrial 
gains for a century. For years, except for a small local commerce, 
York has been a forgotten port. The politicians however did their 



ANOTHER VIEW OF THE CLIFF 


full duty in keeping up one of the original institutions of this 
seaport, as is evidenced by the records that in 1912 two dollars and 
fifty cents were collected at the customs house (now abolished) at 
a cost of more than $500. 

Almost down to the time of our famous Maine prohibition laws, 
the use of liquors in York would have made a temperance man 
gasp for breath, but, doubtlessly, unbounded joy was brought to 
the hearts of some inveterate old topers of the time. At a ship 
launching it was customary to furnish a barrel of rum for the 
men and a barrel of wine for the ladies. At huskings, raftings, 
and raisings, to which the whole community was bidden, rum was 






50 


COASTAL MAINE 



passed about freely; and in truth, this beverage gained its way into 
more solemn assemblages. Among the enumerated expenses of 
an ordination to the Christian ministry occur these items: “5 gals, 
rum; 2 qts. brandy”; and on the occasion of one of the funerals 

held at York, five 
gallons of rum, 
sixteen pounds of 
sugar, and half a 
pound of allspice 
were provided the 
mourners. 

Quite early in 
the history of the 
town the citizens 
engaged a school¬ 
master who did 
valiant service 
thrashing husky 
hoys and teaching 
eight hours a day 
at a salary of £30 
per year, one-third 
of which was paid 
in provisions and 
two-thirds in New 
England money. 

At the present 
time a visitor in 
York scarcely can 

iHE FLUME (near york) notice the 

modern and com¬ 
modious school buildings throughout the town, and inquiry will 
bring out the information that good teaching, comfort, and effi¬ 
ciency characterize the entire school system. For the sake of com¬ 
parison let us quote from the statement of a gentleman who years 
ago attended school in this same town and who incidentally describes 
conditions that were common in Maine at that time and up to 

some fifty years ago. “Never was there seen such a miserable set 

of blue-nosed, chattering, suffering creatures as were the scholars 









COASTAL MAINE 


51 


the first half-hour after the commencement of school in a cold 
morning.” In those days Coburn’s Intellectual Arithmetic fur¬ 
nished substantial intellectual pabulum, while the Art of Reading 
and AEsop’s Fables provided material for the reading classes. 
Webster’s Spelling Book was studied after recess and in the after¬ 
noon the girls and some of the boys, too, devoted themselves assid¬ 
uously to “The Young Lady’s Accedence,”—in other words, a 
treatise on English Grammar. 

The description of an annual muster day at York gives an insight 
to another lost institution which through the first thirty years, or 
more, of the nineteenth century gave color to Maine rural life. 
This training day was a gala occasion to which men and women 
came from all the surrounding country. The military display was 
curious indeed. There were no two uniforms alike and the arms 
borne were of every conceivable description and of no conceiv¬ 
able use, except for a hand to hand encounter. The assortment in 
part consisted of arquebuses, blunderbuses, firelocks, muskets, and 
Queen’s Arms. Let us not forget, however, that many of these 
wornout weapons had done effective service in the W^ar for Inde¬ 
pendence. 

The day was one of “confusion, revelry, and tumult,” almost 
equal to the happenings at Donnybrook Fair. Buffoonery, wax 
works, and jim-crow dancing were in order. A band with instru¬ 
ments “untuned and untunable,” according to the report of a by¬ 
stander, dispensed sounds “emanating from the bottomless abyss.” 
The sham battle was the prime event of the day. Each participant 
bore a ticket which indicated the part he was expected to take in 
the battle and told him his fate. Thus it happened that each soldier 
knew whether he would live or die, or perchance, escape in some 
desperate and soul-thrilling escapade. An ambulance finally was 
driven over the hotly contested battlefield, and the attendants after 
reading the tickets, removed the wounded and dead in proper order. 
After the battle there was a deal of gaming and many were the 
jokes that the men and boys played on one another. Old black 
Isaac Davis of Cape Neddick tuned his fiddle and played his limited 
selections at three cents per piece. His favorite selection was 
“When I Am Dead and Gone to Rest,” which he played and at 
the same time sang with great vehemence. At evening, weary 
and dusty, but feeling well repaid for all the energy expended, the 


52 


COASTAL MAINE 


beaux and belles slowly wandered towards home munching sheets 
of gingerbread, a confection of the day, which no gallant omitted 
to buy and carry in his red silk handkerchief for consumption 
during the homeward walk. 

Times and places change. Much that belonged to the old days 
has passed away, and much that is new complements our modern 
life. What would be the thoughts of a staid old citizen of York 
who departed a hundred years ago, should he happen to come back 
todayHe would find the warehouses and wharves about the 
harbor gone, save for one or two. He would find the village 
greatly changed, and the former scrubby hills and ledgy grounds 



LONGSANDS, YORK BEACH 

above the rocky shores covered with pretentious summer homes 
surrounded by beautiful green lawns and walks and gardens. To 
the east he would see Longsands and Shortsands faced with cottages 
and shops, the promontories lined with compact streets of summer 
residences, with a big hotel here and there, and grouped near the 
shorter beach a good-sized village, a typical beach resort of houses, 
stores, and places of entertainment whose customs, whose stock of 
strange wares, and whose novel entertainments and pleasures he 




COASTAL MAINE 


53 


would little understand. The throngs of people, the railroads and 
trolley cars, and the hundreds of automobiles mingled with all the 
rest could well make his confusion complete. Yet such is the 
metamorphosis effected in a fast-moving half-century. 

When I left York my last view and my thoughts were of 
Agamenticus. This mountain was the favorite resort of Aspin- 
quid, a devoted and wily old sachem of the sixteenth and seven¬ 
teenth centuries. From 
the accounts that have 
come down to us we 
are at a loss whether 
to count this illustrious 
old Indian as a sorcerer 
or an apostle. He was 
looked on as a hero 
and the possessor of a 
wisdom far exceeding 
the wisdom of ordinary 
men. His followers be¬ 
lieved he could restore 
the ashes of a burned leaf to the original leaf itself, that he could 
raise a live serpent from a dead serpent skin, and that he could 
change his own form into a flame of fire. In his mature years 
he came under the spell of John Eliot’s preaching and became a 
devout follower of Christ. He travelled far and wide among the 
Indian tribes, even as far as the Great Lakes, or beyond, telling 
his tawny brothers of a sure course to the Happy Hunting Grounds 
and the land of the Great Spirit beyond the river. He was received 
everywhere as an honored visitor and a wise counsellor, and when 
he became old, he was enshrined in the veneration of his people. 
After many years of useful work he felt the hand of the dread 
angel laid upon him and he came back to Mount Agamenticus to 
die. Among all the others who came to attend the last rites held 
in his honor were the sachems of fourteen diflFerent tribes, and 
with a display, a splendor, and a solemnity never equalled before 
at an Indian burial, the venerable St. Aspinquid was laid to rest on 
the summit of his cherished mountain. 

Closely connected with York was Wells, not as important, but 
developing on about the same lines. In fact a few of the Wells 



THE SHORTSANDS, YORK BEACH 





/ 


CONGRKGA rrONAl. CHURCH AND OLD COURTHOUSE, YORK 















COASTAL MAINE 


55 


settlers came from York, but the greatest body came from Exeter, 
New Hampshire, about 1643, under the leadership of Rev. John 
Wheelwright. Cromwell and Wheelwright had been fellow stu¬ 
dents at Cambridge and in after years the stern-willed Lord Pro¬ 
tector of England averred that he never had felt as much fear 
before an army as he had felt before Wheelwright in football 
contests and in wrestling at the University. This New World 
divine was unusually active throughout his life. Judged by our 
present-day standards, he would be considered an excellent man; 
but in his interpretation of theological problems he possessed an 
originality and independence that did not always fit harmoniously 
with the beliefs commonly held in his time, and finally he was 
banished from Massachusetts. He established a church at Wells 
which met with little outside favor and after an existence of a 
very few years its dissolution was ordered. 

Probably the new town was not the place to hold a man as enter¬ 
prising and active as Wheelwright. It was small and had not yet 
commenced to prosper. Lumbering was the main source of income. 
Many of the people could not read, write or cipher, and no school 
was provided for the 
children. The general 
character of the inhab¬ 
itants seems to have 
been low. A few years 
after the settlement of 
Wells, the General 
Court at Boston refused 
to admit the elected rep¬ 
resentative from Wells 
because he was a rum- 
seller. All in all we 
are not surprised that 
Wheelwright lived in 
the town only a short time. The community nevertheless persisted 
in living and has maintained a healthful existence through more 
than two and a half centuries. 

In a general way York and Wells resemble each other in nearly 
all particulars. There is the similarity of low, regular coastline, 
of splendid beaches and hard sand, broken in places by rockbound 







56 


COASTAL MAINE 


headlands, of farmlands and woods ascending easily from the 
shores, of summer resorts and little villages; and in bygone days 
the same dangers and the same wealth of history was theirs. 

In these early settlements and others like them, small, scattered, 
and easily assailed, the conditions truly were terrible. The savages 
set no time nor place for battle, but without warning they were 
wont to fall on some farmhouse or hamlet to work destruction 
and death, after which they returned to the forest, lost to pursuit. 
No settler’s life was safe. The danger was ever real and ever 
present, and on account of an exposed position, nowhere else in 
the colonies was Indian warfare waged so persistently, or with so 



WELLS BEACH 


great damage, as in the Province of Maine. Wells was the most 
eastern town to hold its ground against the subtile foe. Time 
after time the tide of destruction swept westward and left the 
settlements from Pemaquid to Wells deserted and blackened ruins, 
but Wells remained unmoved. Rather more than a century ago 
at least fifty garrison houses could be counted in York and 
Wells,—grim reminders of the necessities of a period that is 
now past. 

So many were the Indian depredations committed in this part of 
Maine that, were they all recited in detail, the narration from its 
length alone would become wearisome. Some of the encounters 







COASTAL MAINE 


57 


hereabouts, however, were decisive battles in Maine’s history and 
therefore their stories richly deserve perpetuation. 

In the June that followed York’s great disaster one of these 
momentous engagements took place at the old Stover garrison in 
Wells. Just a year before Moxus, a Penobscot sagamore, who had 
been repelled at this stronghold by Captain Converse, was laughed 
at on his return by his brother chieftains, and Modockawando 
declared, “Moxus miss it this time; next year I’ll have the dog 
Converse out of his den.” True to his word, the next summer 
the old warrior accompanied by Moxus, Egermet and the French 
leaders Labocree and Portneuf, appeared before the garrison at 
Wells. Portneuf was first in command. At the time Converse 
commanded thirty soldiers besides the settlers who fled to his pro¬ 
tecting walls. Two small vessels also came to render what aid 
they could and anchored close to the bank of the river. The 
French and Indians numbered five hundred strong. Such was the 
situation and the future of the province seemed at stake. Converse 
was resolved not to quit as long as a man in the garrison was left. 

Contrary to their usual custom the enemy came forward to make 
the attack in the open, and with a great yelling and brandishing 
of weapons and calling for the garrison to surrender, they com¬ 
menced to fight fiercely. From morning to night the battle lasted, 
but the fire of the attacking forces was futile. Converse on the 
other hand directed his men to make each shot do its deadly work. 

Meanwhile the redskins were attempting to destroy the two 
sloops in the river and they shot into the hulls of the vessels many 
fire arrows which the sailors coolly extinguished with wet mops, 
sending back between times volleys of bullets that kept the Indians 
well in check. Taking a new tack the mischievous besiegers 
utilized a farm cart by fixing a bullet-proof shield of planks in 
front. They filled the cart with men and commenced to push it 
towards the ships which were then laying helplessly in the mud 
at low tide. La Brognerie directed the movement, and presently 
when the cart had stopped in the soft ground, he stepped alongside 
to put his shoulder to one of the wheels, thus exposing his body 
for a moment. That moment was his last. Another stepped into 
his place and in turn was shot dead. The cart remained fast and 
the little group of French and Indians inside were between the 
horns of a most unpleasant dilemma. They could not push for- 


58 


COASTAL MAINE 


ward, and being within easy range of the garrison, it was folly tO' 
flee. The returning tide at length came in far enough to upset 
the cart and in the mad flight for safety which followed, several 
lost their lives. 

Daylight faded into night and the aggressive allies kept up a 
desultory firing to weary the garrison. In the morning for a while 

there was a dead silence fol¬ 
lowed hy another desperate 
attack. A soldier of the gar¬ 
rison stammered something 
about surrender. ‘‘Utter that 
word again,” exclaimed Cap¬ 
tain Converse, “and you are 
a dead man.” The enemy 
shouted wildly, and having 
poured a volley of bullets into 
the fort, they fought like de¬ 
mons. The supreme moment was now at hand. .The small gar¬ 
rison at tremendous odds was fighting against annihilation. Con¬ 
verse bade his men be calm and firm and careful that every gun 
should do execution. Then followed tremendous exertion and 
action. The walls of the garrison were aflash with the fire from 
muskets and cannon. The women brought up ammunition and 
brands to discharge the weap¬ 
ons which were loaded and 
fired in rapid succession. Every 
person was animated to put 
forth his utmost effort into 
the desperate struggle for life. 

The enemy could not with¬ 
stand such punishment as the 
colonists were inflicting and 
they retreated in disorder. 

What a relief to the garrison which until that moment did not 
know how the fortune of battle would turn! 

Afterwards the assailants sent a fire raft down the river in 
another attempt to destroy the two sloops. For a time the vessels 
were directly in the path of what appeared to be inevitable destruc¬ 
tion, but a providential breeze springing up, carried tbe raft to the 




Photo by Topalian, OgunquH 
BRIDGE IN THE SALT MARSHES 








COASTAL MAINE 


59 


opposite shore so that the attempt came to naught. Again the 
surrender of the stronghold was demanded, and when a negative 
reply was returned, the Indians threatened to cut the settlers “as 
fine as tobacco.” A scattering fire was kept up until midnight, 
when with hideous noise and with terrible torture the redmen put 
to death a captive taken outside the garrison walls, and immediately 
afterwards, burning with the 
chagrin of defeat, they stealth¬ 
ily and silently betook them¬ 
selves to the forests and re¬ 
treated from western Maine. 

An event which happened at 
Wells will indicate one of the 
inconveniences that attended 
the uncertain variations of sav¬ 
age warfare. One summer 
day Elisah Plaisted, of Portsmouth, and Hannah Wheelwright, of 
Wells, both of prominent families, were married in the latter 
settlement. Noted guests from the neighboring towns came to the 
wedding. Nobody feared that unbidden guests were near. In the 
good old colonial fashion the feasting and merrymaking was con¬ 
tinued until past midnight when a part of the company wished to 
return home. Then it was found that some of the horses were 

missing. Several young men 
set out to find them, and dur¬ 
ing the search were assailed 
by a volley of musketry which 
killed two of their number 
and wounded another. Other 
members of the wedding party, 
including the groom, hastened 




A RESTFUL SCENE AT OGUNQUIT 


SAND DUNES, OGUNQUIT 


to the rescue and in turn were 
assailed by a skulking band of 
Indians. One of the men lost his life and the others escaped save 
the unfortunate young Plaisted who was captured in his bridal 
attire. In scarcely more than a moment’s time death and sorrow 
filled the house where happiness and love had been enthroned. 
It is pleasing to record that soon afterwards the captive was ran¬ 
somed and restored to his anxious and lovely bride. 








60 


COASTAL MAINE 


Doubtlessly it has been the fortune of some of my readers to 
stand on one of the wharves at Portsmouth overlooking the strong¬ 
flowing Piscataqua, and catch his first glimpse of Maine. Directly 
opposite is Badger’s Island, covered in places by green grass, in 
other places broken by little pieces of forest sloping in gentle 
declivities to the river, while beyond among the treetops are seen 
a steeple or two and a few housetops of the quiet village of Kittery. 
Honorable mention should be made of Thomas Withers, an old- 
time resident and shipbuilder on the island which bears his name. 
There he built the Ranger, which in after years did our country 
such gallant service under the command of Captain Paul Jones. 
Among other ships launched there were the America, a regular 
dreadnaught in her time, and the celebrated warship Kearsarge. 
A short distance up the river is an irregular waterbasin with beau¬ 
tifully wooded shores and cut off partly by a long, twisted, thou¬ 
sand-legged old bridge and a railroad bridge, side by side. The 
first of these structures was for many years the main thoroughfare 
across the Piscataqua, but is now succeeded by a splendid inter¬ 
state memorial bridge in honor of the soldiers of Maine and New 
Hampshire who gave their lives in the World War. 



THE INTER-STATE MEMORIAL BRIDGE 
















THE OLD BATTLESHIP KEARSARGE, KITTERY 













62 


COASTAL MAINE 


Beyond the village on the side towards the sea rise the solid 
somber gray walls of a naval prison, and numerous other edifices 

of the Kittery Navy Yard 
catch the eye. Here is 
the most eastern of all 
our naval establishments. 
It covers a series of is¬ 
lands which years ago 
were covered with fish 
flakes and were rented 
for “twenty-five and six¬ 
pence” per year. As an 
organized institution this 
navy yard dates back to 
1806. It has had an er¬ 
ratic career and in times 
past has figured to a con¬ 
siderable extent in local 
political intrigue in its neighboring New Hampshire city. It 
has added very materially to the interest of life in this locality. 
Here the great battleships and other types of war craft come 
and go and upon occasion Portsmouth and Kittery are favored 
with the visit of a squad¬ 
ron. When Admiral 
.Cervera’s battle-torn fol¬ 
lowers from Santiago de 
Cuba were brought hither 
to be quartered on Sea- 
vy’s Island until they 
miffht be returned to 

O 

Spain, these towns were 
filled with people who 
came in to see the pris¬ 
oners and the Piscataqua 
was alive with activity. 

And so the story runs. 

The attention of the 
world was centered on Kittery at the time when the Treaty of 
Portsmouth was being forged by the ambassadors of Russia and 




BATTLESHIP NEW HAMPSHIRE 
IN FRONT OF KITTERY 


* 




1 









COASTAL MAINE 


63 


Japan, and in the navy yard’s Administration Building the emis¬ 
saries of the two rival nations pounded out the articles of that 
agreement and there it was signed. This navy yard now has 
the best dry dock in the United States and it leads in the efficient 
construction of subma¬ 
rines. The entire plant 
is worked up to a high 
standard and is a val- 
unct to our 
naval power, and de¬ 
spite various disquiet¬ 
ing rumors in the past 
that it would be aban¬ 
doned, it will function 
until naval armaments 
are no more and peace 
becomes universal and 
permanent. 

Three miles down is 
FUttery Point, a locality of historic interest and indescribable charm. 
The sea is blue and vast and rolls as grandly as when Martin Pring 
sailed up the Piscataqua three hundred years ago. This place once 

was the most important 
and prosperous commer¬ 
cial center in Maine. 
William Pepperrell of 
Plymouth, England, 
came early to New 
England in a fishing 
vessel and established a 
business of handling fish 
on the Isles of Shoals. 
Later he moved across 
to Kittery Point, where 
he married the daughter 
of John Bragg, tavern keeper, ship builder, and man of means. 
Pepperrell possessed little education but was gifted with great 
natural ability and energy which enabled him to extend his fishing 
enterprises and to engage in trade and commerce. At Kittery his 



KITTERY POINT 


liable adj 



LAUNCHING FIRST SUBMARINE BUILT 
AT KITTERY 











64 


COASTAL MAINE 

son, also named William Pepperrell, was born. The boy was 
brought up to assist in his father’s business, which came into his 
hands more and more as time went on. Eventually the younger 
Pepperrell built wharves and warehouses in which he stored his 
cargoes and imports. From his shipyards nearby he sent vessels to 
every part of the commercial world. It is said, and truly, we 



OLD FERRY LANDING, KITTERY 


believe, that as many as one hundred sail at a time were seen an¬ 
chored in the harbor. He set up saw-mills and acquired land until 
he could travel many miles to the northeast without setting foot off 
his own possessions. He was military commander (though he knew 
little enough of military tactics), local magistrate, and a strong 
pillar of the Congregational Church. He had been a member of 
the General Court at Boston, and withal he was a popular as well 
as a powerful man. But as his natal star, or perchance, some 
favoring divinity would have it, the crowning achievement of his 
successful life was yet held in reserve. 






COASTAL MAINE 


65 


In 1745 Nova Scotia was held by England, but Cape Breton 
Island was in the possession of the French. Upon that rugged, 
rockbound island was the city and fortress of Louisburg. This 
stronghold had been twenty-five years in building and had cost 
France $6,000,000. On the side facing the sea were high and 
massive walls and on the land side were encircling walls thirty 
feet high and forty feet thick up to a certain line above which 
they were thirteen feet in thickness. Without the wall was a 
ditch eighty feet in width, and without this another wall, and 
breastworks outside of that. This protecting line was somewhat 
more than two miles in length. The truly adamantine walls were 
safeguarded by a harbor not easy of approach and strongly de¬ 
fended, inasmuch as a 
hostile fleet entering, or 
within the basin, would 
be exposed to a raking 
hre from the front, the 
side, and the rear. 

Within the citadel and 
the batteries were the 
stations for one hundred 
and fifty cannon and 
swivel guns and the 
place was manned by 
two thousand soldiers. 

Next to Quebec, Louis¬ 
burg was the strongest fortress in the New World and was referred 
to often as the Gibraltar of America. It was considered invincible. 
A French officer had boasted that an army of women could defend 
it, and Bancroft states that it was considered that two hundred 
men could hold it against a thousand. 

From this base the French had harassed Port Royal and the 
fishing station at Canseau, and against this apparently impregnable 
citadel some of the unquiet spirits of New England urged a retali¬ 
atory expedition. From this agitation arose one of the maddest 
movements that ever has enlivened our strenuous colonial life. 
Captain William Vaughn of Damariscotta, surely one of the most 
reckless men in all America, was the prime mover in the com¬ 
mencement of the affair and it was he who induced the enthusiastic 



4 




66 


COASTAL MAINE 


Governor Shirley of Massachusetts to present the project to the 
General Court. 

That august body discussed the proposed expedition at length, 
and being well ballasted with common sense, decided against it. 

In any event the General 
Court had intended to 
keep the matter secret, 
but one of the legislators 
had so loudly invoked 
divine guidance within 
the walls of ,his board¬ 
ing house that the sub¬ 
ject soon became com¬ 
mon talk and, moreover, 
a very absorbing topic 
of conversation. Again 
William Vaughn, who 
was a mill-owner and 
ship-owner of considerable account, pressed the situation upon the 
authorities more urgently than before, until the Court reconsidered 
the question and reversed its former decision by the narrow margin 
of one vote. 

Governor Shirley asked other colonies to help, and New Hamp¬ 
shire and Connecticut entered the undertaking in a most whole¬ 
hearted manner. Rhode 
Island gave only small 
assistance, although this 
colony claimed that it 
did all its circumstances 
would allow. But such 
a madcap expedition 
found little support out¬ 
side of New England. 

The sage Franklin ob¬ 
served that “fortified 
towns are hard nuts to 
crack, and your teeth are not accustomed to it; but some seem to 
think that forts are as easily taken as snuff.” New York loaned 
a few cannon, and through the enthusiasm and friendly spirit of 



THE PISCATAQUA AT KITTERY 


E- 

I 



AT KITTERY POINT 











COASTAL MAINE 


67 


Governor Clinton, later gave £9900 to forward the project. New 
Jersey gave £2000 and Pennsylvania £4000. In the main, the 
money, munitions of war, and men, were found in the North 
Atlantic colonies. To William Pepperrell, the prosperous Kittery 

merchant, was_ 

offered the com¬ 
mand. White- 
field, then in the 
midst of his re¬ 
vival work, hap¬ 
pened to be Pep- 
perrelPs guest, 
and when his ad¬ 
vice was sought 
by his host, he 
gave no encour¬ 
agement. Pep¬ 
perrell possessed 
little training or 
experience that 
specifically fitted 
him for such 
an undertaking. 

Nevertheless, re¬ 
markable success 
had accompanied 
all his ventures 
and he had con¬ 
fidence in him¬ 
self. Moreover, 
it is probable that 
he was flattered 
by the offer and 
incited by am¬ 
bition. Dropping daybook and ledger, he took up the command. 
Seven weeks were spent in raising the forces and equipping the 
fleet. Nearly four thousand men were enrolled, of whom about 
a third were Maine farmers, fishermen, carpenters, and the like. 
Samuel Waldo of Falmouth, with the title of brigadier general. 



Courtesy Essex Inst., Salem, Mass. 
SIR WILLIAM PEPPERRELL 



68 


COASTAL MAINE 


headed one of the three regiments, and William Vaughn was a 
lieutenant colonel. Captain Edward Tyng, of Falmouth, a tried 
and true man of the sea, commanded the fleet. The respected, 
tough-fibered “Father” Moody, a well-known Congregational 
clergyman of York, already seventy years of age, enlisted as chap¬ 
lain and took along his ax to hew down the altars of Antichrist 
and destroy his idols when the Catholic stronghold should be taken. 
The soldiers were rather poorly armed, undisciplined, and the 
cannon and mortars aboard the ships were insignificant in com¬ 
parison with the batteries of the enemy. 

Followed by the prayers of New England, toasted heartily by 
all the users of ardents, and bearing the motto Nil desferandurUy 

Christo duccy the expe¬ 
dition, happily largely 
ignorant of its handi¬ 
caps, traversed five hun¬ 
dred miles of sea to 
overcome the famous 
French citadel. 

All the ships came 
together at Canseau, 
where they remained 
some time and were 
joined by Commodore 
Warren, who brought 
four warships from the West Indies. Then when it seemed that 
the opportune time had come, they set sail again and in the morn¬ 
ing of April 30 quietly arrived before Louisburg, and in Pep- 
perrelPs words “saw the lighthouse and the steeples in the town.” 
The first aggressive movement was carried out almost immediately. 
Some of the colonists put out in boats from the vessels, to eflFect 
a landing; and when a French detachment hurried down to the 
shore to meet them, the colonists turned back until they had joined 
other boats that had set off, when all hands started to row to a 
point two miles distant on the adjacent coast where they would be 
well out of the range of the French fire from the fort. The 
Frenchmen perceiving the ruse, also hastened to reach the objective 
point, but the New England men, thanks to their strong arms, 
arrived first and landed several hundred of their forces. In the 




COASTAL MAINE 


69 


skirmish which ensued the French were driven back. When more 
men had been landed, Vaughn with about four hundred followers 
started towards some hills nearby and saluted the fortress town 
with three cheers. Doubtlessly the people in Louisburg were more 
amused than alarmed at the antics of Vaughn’s “disorderly crowd,” 
but they were soon compelled to engage in serious considerations. 

During the night Vaughn set on fire some buildings and a quan¬ 
tity of supplies without the northwest part of Louisburg and so 
much smoke was blown into the Royal Battery three-fourths of a 
mile away that the frightened French gunners spiked their cannon, 
threw their powder into a well, and fled. In the morning the 
astonished New England soldiers entered the deserted battery. 
They bore no ensign, but a boy hurriedly climbed the flagpole and 
fastened his red coat at the top. A messenger was dispatched to 
Pepperrell to ask for reinforcements. No time was lost in drill¬ 
ing out the vents of the cannon to the end that these selfsame guns 
could be turned against the city. 

The shore where the colonists had landed was made up of soft 
land and was extremely unfavorable for the landing of supplies 
and munitions of war. Nevertheless, the men once ashore, work¬ 
ing nights and foggy weather, constructed sledges and almost 
within hailing distance of the surprised Frenchmen, harnessing 
themselves together like oxen, two hundred in a team, they drew 
their cannon through two miles of marshland and icewater. Bat¬ 
teries were set up in succession, each nearer the town than the 
preceding, until it seemed that the city was half surrounded by 
hostile bombardment. The ingenious Yankees improvised what¬ 
ever they needed and worked quickly. Despite all that, the un¬ 
trained farmers and fishermen were poor marksmen and Pepperrell 
borrowed some of Warren’s gunners from the fleet to give his men 
some sorely needed lessons. Here again Yankee ingenuity and 
quickness came to the aid of the raw soldiers, who were apt pupils 
and who soon proved their worth to the discomfort of the enemy. 
Although they may have given but small heed to approved military 
tactics, they nevertheless raked Louisburg terribly with their fire 
and drove the French gunners from their positions. The West 
Gate was demolished and a large breach made in the wall, and 
the important Circular Battery was shattered until it was almost 
useless. 


70 


COASTAL MAINE 


On account of their rough work in the marshlands and else¬ 
where, the footwear and clothing of the provincials became so 
worn that some were barefooted and otherwise in sorry plight. 
But the spirit of the men was irrepressible. Even while the bom¬ 
bardment was going on and danger was ever present and ever real, 
such soldiers as happened to be unemployed at the time frolicked 
and played games, and in fine disregard of military restraint went 
away to fish the brooks for trout and to search the inlets for lob¬ 
sters; it is recorded, however, that every man was on hand at the 
appointed time to receive his daily portion of rum. 

It was evident that Island Battery on an island in the entrance 
to the harbor must be taken before Warren’s fleet could render 
much assistance. An attempt was made to land men on the island 
from boats at night, but the night was clear and light so that the 
boats were seen and easily driven back by the French in the battery. 
Several other like attempts were made without any success. Again 
some four hundred volunteers under a leader of their own choice 
were led to undertake the perilous task. As the men were getting 
ready to take the boats, the traveled, well-read Samuel Waldo 
looked with misgivings on the motley, boisterous lot. “Not a few 
of them were noisy & in liquor.” Yet the eflFort seems to have 
been well carried out and one hundred and fifty of their number 
landed on the island without much difficulty at the beginning of 
the engagement. Those who came up in the rear were less for¬ 
tunate in this regard since the guns of the aroused defenders of 
the place were trained against them. The volunteers although 
always fighting at a disadvantage, fought with great bravery and 
persistence for nearly three hours, but at last were obliged to with¬ 
draw, leaving about seventy who were killed or drowned and about 
one hifndred and twenty who were made prisoners. 

Undismayed by this repulse, Pepperrell ordered a battery to be 
set up on the mainland near the lighthouse about one thousand 
yards from Island Battery. So effective was the attack from this 
new location that the magazine of the Island Battery was exploded 
and some of the terrified French gunners driven from their posi¬ 
tions ran into the water for protection. Island Battery, which had 
been the greatest hindrance to both the land and sea forces, from 
this time ceased to be a potent factor in the conflict. 


COASTAL MAINE 


71 


The undaunted New Englanders were doing good work all 
along the line, and the defenses of the fortress were considerably 
weakened. More ships of war came up to strengthen Commodore 
Warren’s command. Moreover, a large French ship richly laden 
with supplies for the distressed city was captured by Warren’s fleet 
outside the harbor. This was good fortune indeed for the colo¬ 
nists because a considerable quantity of much needed ammunition 
was obtained to replenish Pepperrell’s diminishing supply. 

The fourteenth of June was the anniversary of the English 
king’s ascent to the throne, and on that day Pepperrell and Warren 
planned a joint attack of the land forces and fleet on the strong¬ 
hold. At noon all the guns of the fleet and the captured batteries 
were discharged in a grand salute. The decisive hour was now 
at hand and the reduction of Louisburg promised to become a 
reality. At this juncture Duchambon, the French commander, 
weakened. After forty-four days of unceasing combat the terms 
of capitulation were drawn up and Louisburg was surrendered. 

After the contest was over many of Pepperrell’s men clamored 
to sack the town. There arose “a great noys and hubbub a mongst 
ye soldiers about ye Plunder; som Cursin, som Swaring,” accord¬ 
ing to one of the letters written home at the time. In truth the 
provincials were all along a difficult lot to manage, and when at 
length many of the French had set sail to their native land, Pep¬ 
perrell could restrain some of his men no longer. At the very 
time when good old Parson Moody was preaching to a part of the 
men, others were out stealing whatever they could find in the city. 
Afterwards in the enforced delay before they could return home 
the troops nearly mutinied and kept their troubled officers at their 
wits’ end to maintain some semblance of management until Gov¬ 
ernor Shirley came down and mollified the soldiers’ feelings with 
extra pay and a pint of rum for every man to drink to the health 
of the king. 

Going back to the early hours of July 3, the people of Boston 
were aroused from their peaceful dreams and transported to even 
a happier reality by the clangor of bells and the discharge of 
cannon. In short order the narrow, crooked streets were surging 
with joyous crowds, and at evening every window shone with 
illuminations and the buildings of the city were aglow with the 
glare of fireworks and bonfires. In Portland Parson Smith re- 


72 


COASTAL MAINE 


corded in his diary: “There is great rejoicing throughout the 
country. We fired our cannon five times and spent the afternoon 
at the fort rejoicing.” The same gladness and similar demon¬ 
strations sped through New England. In France and England 
PepperrelFs achievement was received with astonishment and was 
accorded marked attention throughout the Old World as well as 
the New. In due season the heroes of this expedition which was 
conceived in madness, favored by Fortune, and conducted in a 
manner at variance to all military precedents, were welcomed 
home and the Kittery business man and merchant thereafter bore 
the proud title and name of Sir William Pepperrell. 

The portly gambrel-roofed house, much worn, in which Sir 
William lived and died, stands to-day facing the sea. In his later 
days of fame and opulence the baronet adopted a more pretentious 
style of living. He attired himself in red broadcloth trimmed with 
gold-colored lace. A coach graced his estate, and a barge manned 
by black oarsmen in livery waited on his visitors who came in ships. 
The number of his servants was increased, and of his abundance 
he kept an open house for all who were worthy of his hospitality. 
Yet his grand manner of living was not for long. From the 
exposure incurred at Louisburg, rheumatism was engendered, and 
from complications with this disease Sir William died at a com¬ 
paratively early age. At the time he probably was the wealthiest 
man in New England. When the Revolution arose all the Pep¬ 
perrell family, excepting Sir William’s widow, went away with 
other Royalists and the vast property was confiscated. Lady Pep¬ 
perrell, however, chose to remain and she lived in the mansion 
house which is seen today opposite the old meeting house, until she 
died, embittered in soul to see the magnificent estate swept away 
and the valiant services of her husband so easily forgotten. 

Kittery, York, Wells, and Saco (Biddeford) were sometimes 
called the “ancient plantations.” In scarcely any case is the exact 
time of settlement known with certainty. We believe Kittery 
may have been settled first in 1623 by a pioneer named Thompson 
who abandoned his clearing three years later. Not long after¬ 
wards Kittery Point was founded, and farther up the river, Leigh¬ 
ton’s Point, which became the most populous center of this region. 
For two hundred and fifty years this up-river community has 
jogged along at a steady gait and made a quiet, consistent advance. 


COASTAL MAINE 


73 


One jolt, indeed, occurred when Massachusetts became the domi¬ 
nating influence in the government of Maine. The old settlers 
were Episcopalians who had submitted with ill grace to Cromwell 
and they now held stoutly to their independence of the Puritans 
ol the Bay Colony. This attitude led to a struggle which subsided 
only after much storm and bitterness, and the incorporation of the 
locality into a separate town under the name of Eliot. 

For years past the quiet, restful scenery of this region has caused 
it to be appreciated and loved by people who were familiar with 
it; and in years still recent the Greenacre Colony made Eliot 
famous. The movement was called into existence by Miss 
Farmer, a daughter of the w'ell-known inventor who caused the 
first electric light to glow and who first applied electricity to 
trolley cars. Greenacre was a protest against the narrow ideas 
that shackled religious thought as late as only a few years ago, 
but are now burst asunder by the impulse of a more reasonable 
mental development. 

The first step was the possessing of a field, a place of pleasant 
elms, shady woods, and country valleys and vistas of the sea, all 
within a sweeping curve of the Piscataqua, with foot-hills of New 
Hampshire mountains visible in the distance. The second step was 
to draw together a coterie of doers and thinkers and dreamers, 
people with creeds and without creeds, who in their lives blended 
high ideals with simple living. Indeed Greenacre was a splendid 
conception, not unworthy of comparison with the Lyceum in the 
classic groves of Athens. Here some of the most talented men 
of America, of whom were John Fiske, Edward Everett Hale, 
William Dean Howells, and a score of others scarcely less known, 
lectured and conversed with seekers for truth in the open air, save 
perhaps for the top covering of a tent, or during inclement weather 
within a more substantial auditorium called Eirenion. Transcen- 
dentalists were in their element and exponents of Indian and Per¬ 
sian philosophy, adorned in sweeping robes and gorgeous turbans, 
were cordially welcomed. Nothing was mean nor bigoted in the 
Greenacre idea, but on the other hand the environment was favor¬ 
able for broad, healthful intellectual life and progressive growth. 
Gradually, however, the tenets of Orientalism took a strong hold 
on some of the colony’s supporters and to a great extent crowded 
out the former spirit of broad toleration until finally Miss Farmer 


74 


COASTAL MAINE 


was ousted from control. From that time Greenacre more and 
more fell into disfavor and then into disuse. 

In early colonial days the region along the river above Leigh¬ 
ton’s Point was called Newichawannock and became the seat of 
several settlements. In the Piscataqua valley lumber was as abun¬ 
dant then as it is in northern Maine today. With so good a course 
for navigation at hand, it was altogether natural that hamlets cen¬ 
tering about saw-mills should spring up and that lumber should 
become the staple product. As early as 1650 one of the mills was 
equipped with gang saws capable of doing ‘‘great works,” and the 
little village that grew up there is named Great Works to the 
present day. 

In Indian times all this vicinity was an exposed and desultory 
fighting ground where savage attacks and deeds of heroism both 
were common. In King William’s War twenty-seven sets of 
buildings were burned, thirty-four people were killed, and fifty- 
four were taken into captivity, and like instances of Indian depre¬ 
dations might be multiplied. 

In 1675 the house of John Tozier, sheltering fifteen women 
and children who were alone at the time, was attacked by the 
savages under circumstances that would seem to have precluded all 
hope of escape. One of the party, a girl of eighteen, saw the 
approaching Indians in time to hold the door against them while 
her companions escaped from the other side of the house. When 
at length the infuriated savages had battered down the door and 
found their quarry gone, they struck down the young heroine 
with many wounds, scalped her, and left her for dead; but hap¬ 
pily she came back to life, recovered from her wounds, and was 
spared to relate the exciting adventure after she had attained a 
good old age. 

South Berwick now occupies the site of Newichawannock. In 
the years when it was a lumber port many vessels came up the 
river to its wharves and at that time and ever since it has been one 
of the prosperous villages of Maine. To be sure, in its life of 
nearly three centuries, it has changed from a progressive, active 
port to an old-fashioned country village, but its industry and means 
have kept pace with the years. 

In Berwick in 1740 was born John Sullivan, who studied law, 
went to the Continental Congress, became a distinguished Amer- 


COASTAL MAINE 


75 


ican general in the Revolution, and served afterwards as governor 
of New Hampshire and as judge of the United States district court 
in that State. In Berwick likewise was horn his younger brother, 
James Sullivan, who in turn studied law and very soon became 
King’s attorney of York County. He succeeded to the highest 
judicial position in the colony (Massachusetts). He was sent to 
the Continental Congress, and after the war became attorney 
general of the State. In 1796 he was appointed by Washington 
to be one of the commissioners to establish the boundary line 
between the United States and Canada. At that time he was the 
acknowledged leader of the Massachusetts bar. Sullivan was 
elected the fifth governor of Massachusetts and held that office 
at the time of his death in 1808. He was interested deeply in 
historical subjects and is remembered as the author of the first 
history of Maine. 

South Berwick long will be recalled as the birthplace and home 
of Sarah Orne Jewett. Her best book. The Country Doctor, 
is in part a narration of 
her own early life and 
brings out the character 
of her father, a good old 
country physician, with 
whom in her girlhood she 
was accustomed to ride 
over the Berwick hills as 
he visited his patients. 

The lumber-laden vessels 
were never failing sources 
of interest, and as a child 
she became imbued with 
the spirit of rural and 
riverport life. Miss Jew¬ 
ett’s mature years were sarah orne jewett 

broadened by cultured 

associations and travel, but of all places she loved South Berwick 
best and always clung to the old homestead where she was born. 

In her literary work Miss Jewett developed talents of extraor¬ 
dinary worth. She was gifted to pen a story in which to any 
considerable extent neither love nor passion enter and which yet 





76 


COASTAL MAINE 


holds the reader by a subtile power which a more sensational nar¬ 
rative could not excite. Better than most writers she understood 
the sterling qualities, the homely virtues, and the finer traits of 
the people of the country of the pointed firs; she brought out the 
better side of humanity and proved herself one of the most restful 
as well as one of the most successful of American authors. 

Among all the archipelagoes of New England the most isolated 
as well as the richest in traditional lore and forgotten history is 
the Isles of Shoals. In the days of discovery Gosnold and Bring 
in turn passed by these islands and later Champlain and Smith each 
examined them with more or less care. The latter explorer gave to 
the group the name of Smith’s Isles, thinking or wishing, perhaps, 
to perpetuate the memory of himself in this part of the world. 

On Appledore is a crain 
of stones which island 
tradition asserts was set 
up by Captain Smith in 
1614, but which was as 
likely put there by the 
crew of some fishing 
vessel or other chance 
visitors. It is certain, 
however, that in a recip¬ 
rocal mind the islanders 
erected a monument in 
honor of Smith on Star 
Island, where it stands 
to this day. 

The group as a whole consists of nine small islands with some 
outlying rocks and ledges. Five of these including the two largest 
belong to Maine, the others to New Hampshire. From the main 
the islands appear low and indistinct, but on close approach each 
discloses its individual features and the larger ones present some 
fine, abrupt cliffs elevated to a considerable height above the waves. 
Indeed Champlain comments on the height of the islands (isles 
asses hautes), although in this respect they do not differ from 
many others of approximate size. Noted writers have given us 
their impressions of these isolated piles of eternal rock with edges 
weather-beaten, ragged and torn, and Mrs. Thaxter who knew 






COASTAL MAINE 


77 


these islands better than others knew them speaks of their sternness, 
their loneliness, and aspect of sadness which is sensed to some 
degree by every curious observer of the Shoals. Lowell with his 
fine mastery of words has given us this description: 

“A heap of bare and splintery crags 
Tumbled about by lightning and frost, 

With rifts and chasms and storm-bleached jags 
That wait and growl for ships to be lost.” 

Literally, the islands are bleak and bare with only a scant cover¬ 
ing of soil. Duck Island in particular is fringed with dangerous 
reefs and generally the shores are broken and jagged with a thrown- 
together appearance in places, and the island surfaces are rough 
and ravined where layers of trap rock have been worn away. 
Some of these narrow 
gorges filled with the 
inflowing water are in¬ 
stinctively compared to 
miniature fiords by the 
observer. Cedar Island 
got its name because 
Captain Smith wrote 
that he saw there ‘‘three 
or four short scrubby 
old cedars.” Today 
there are no trees nor 
sizeable vegetation of 
any sort on the Isles of 
Shoals, although blue¬ 
berry and bayberry bushes and the like are plentiful and there is 
quite a variety of flowers among which the wild pea predominates. 
This small vegetation thrives especially well in the crannies and 
gives the impression that it is doing its best to smooth out the 
inequalities of surface. Such an environment does not send out 
a strong call to birds and animals, and animal life on the islands 
is noticeably rare. 

Of all the Shoals, Appledore is the largest and most interesting 
and its name is most familiar. It is a mile in length and rather 
more than half a mile wide. Others such as Malaga and Cedar 






THE UNCHANGING ISLES OF SHOALS 











COASTAL MAINE 


79 


are very small. Boon Island with its towering lighthouse is fifteen 
miles away and of course is not counted in the group composing 
the Isles of Shoals. Boon is also fifteen miles from the mainland 
and must be classed among the most isolated outposts of the Gulf 
of Maine. We can believe a man who lived on this island many 
years when he says “there is something awful in its loneliness.” 

There are days when the sea around the Shoals is as smooth as 
a mirror, and there are times when Old Ocean in his fully aroused 
fury pounds them with all his strength, and the surf is thrown 
high into'the air to present a spectacle such as only a favored few 
ever are privileged to witness. On Smuttynose (or Haley’s Island) 
are the graves of fourteen Spanish sailors who were wrecked there 
and cut off from life in the long ago. For three centuries ship¬ 
wrecks on these exposed islands have been so common as to be 
almost prosaic. The winter winds are bleak and cold and the 
spring winds are chill and damp, but in the summer, tempered and 
evened by the surrounding sea, there is a joy and restful comfort 
in the climate of the Isles of Shoals such as no locality on the 
main enjoys. 

‘The summer glory gilds the ^hore 
And crowns the cliffs of Appledore.” 

Doubtlessly these islands, surrounded as indeed they were with 
the best of fishing grounds, were visited by summer fishermen 
from the time of the Popham Colony. It is certain that by 1630 
extensive provisions for curing fish had been made, that consider¬ 
able stores of supplies for trade were kept on hand, and that Spanish 
ships came hither to load with fish for cities of Spain. It is prob¬ 
able that permanent settlement was made about that time. When 
Benjamin Hall, the excommunicated minister, preached there in 
1641, it is supposed that the members of thirty or forty families 
composed his congregation. In 1653 when the islanders had come 
under the rule of the Puritan colony, though with ill grace, a local 
court was granted them for the trial of petty ca'^es. The fisher¬ 
men prospered and seven years later we are certain that Star, 
Smuttynose, and Appledore could boast of forty-eight families, a 
church edifice, and a settled minister. The pastor at this time was 
Rev. John Brock, whose ability and peculiar gifts enabled him to 
wield a compelling influence over his people. Some of the more 


80 


COASTAL MAINE 


unlettered, it would seem, ascribed to him a supernatural power or 
something closely akin to it. Among the numerous anecdotes of 
the Reverend Brock’s ministry which have come down to us, that 
would tend to strengthen the faith that his parishioners accorded 
himj is the following told in the words of Cotton Mather: 

“When our Mr. Brock lived on the Isles of Shoals he brought 
the fishermen into an agreement that besides the Lord’s Day they 
would spend one day of every month together in the worship of 
the glorious Lord. A certain day which by their Agreement be- 



Photo by Nezcelly Portsmouth 
THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA 


longed to the Exercises of Religion having arrived, they came to 
Mr. Brock and asked him that they might put by their meeting 
and go a-fishing, because they had Lost many Days by the Foulness 
of the weather. He seeing that without and against his consent 
they resolved upon doing what they asked of him, replied: Tf you 
will go away, I say unto you “Catch fish if you can,” but as for 
you that tarry and worship our Lord Jesus Christ this day, I will 






COASTAL MAINE 


81 


pray unto Him for you that you may afterward take fish until you 
are weary!’ Thirty men went away from the meeting and Five 
taiTried. The thirty that went away from the meeting with all 
their Craft could catch but four Fishes. The five which tarried 
went forth afterward and they took five hundred. The fishermen 
after this were readier to hearken unto the Voice of their Teacher.” 

In 1661 the town of Appledore, comprising all the islands, was 
incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts. At that time both 
New Hampshire and Maine were within the jurisdiction of the 
Bay Colony, but it soon was found that inconvenience arose from 
the fact that the new town was composed of parts of the two 
subordinate provinces and after a few years Appledore was given 
over to New Hampshire. At the same time the population was 
shifting rapidly from Appledore Island to Star where a new meet¬ 
ing house was erected. When New Hampshire separated from 
Massachusetts in 1682, Appledore as a corporate town ceased to 
exist and the four northern islands went back to Kittery, to which 
it appears they formerly had belonged. 

Throughout the years, however, the settlers had been rather 
wild and lawless and impenitent, although under faithful pastoral 
care. Just before the time when the Puritans assumed control the 
archipelago fell so far from grace that it was decreed unfit for 
women to live in. In 1647 was presented the following “humble 
petition of Richard Cutts and John Cutting sheweth,—that con¬ 
trary to an order, or act of court, which says —no woman shall 
live on the Isles of Shoalsy John Reynolds has brought his wife 
hither with an intention to live here and abide. He also hath 
brought upon Hog Island (Appledore) a great stock of goats and 
swine, which by destroying much fish, do great damage to your 
petitioners and others; and also destroy the spring of water upon 
that island, rendering it unfit for any manner of use—which 
affords the only relief and support to the rest of the islands. Your 
petitioners therefore pray for the removal of all women inhabiting 
there; and that said Reynolds may be ordered to remove his goats 
and swine from the Islands without delay.” The court gave a 
righteous decision. Reynolds was compelled to move away his 
animals, but his wife was allowed to remain. 

The middle part of the eighteenth century appears to have been 
the Augustan age in the history of the Isles of Shoals. At that 


82 


COASTAL MAINE 


time the greater part of the inhabitants, estimated from four hun¬ 
dred to six hundred souls, lived on Star Island, which was incor¬ 
porated as the town of Gosport and of course came under the juris¬ 
diction of New Hampshire. For a long term of years Reverend 
John Tucke, Harvard graduate, clergyman, and physician, and 
withal a man of unusual ability, ministered to the spiritual and 
physical welfare of the people. Throughout that period Samuel 
Haley of Smuttynose was in many respects the industrial leader of 
the islands. He constructed a moat across the ledge connecting 
Smuttynose and Malaga, forming a safe little harbor. He also 
built a dock, a windmill, and a ropewalk two hundred and seventy 
feet in length to overcome the rough, uneven surface of the 
island; and he established salt works, a brewhouse, and a distillery. 
We suppose that all of these improvements were appreciated fully 
by the citizens of this island group and we know that Mr. Haley 
on account of his kindly character and his enterprise was highly 
esteemed by everybody. 



GOSPORT CHURCH 





COASTAL MAINE 


83 


Had it not been for the coming on of the Revolution, it is inter¬ 
esting to conjecture what the story of the Shoals might have been. 
As it happened most of the islanders, unlike the people of York 
and other neighboring towns who sent troops to Boston, sided with 
the Royalists and departed to England or to the maritime provinces 
of Canada, never to return. This exodus was the beginning of 
a general moral decline among the few families that remained. 
Preaching was given up. Town meeting was abandoned. Mar¬ 
riage bonds were ignored. Children grew up in ignorance and 
immorality. Men and women even forgot their own ages. It is 
little wonder that the archipelago sometimes was referred to as the 
“godless isles.” In a drunken orgy the inhabitants burned their 
meeting house. Conditions on the islands became a public scandal, 
and missionaries were sent thither as in our own time they have 
been sent to the mountaineers of Kentucky and Tennessee. Preach¬ 
ing was supplied, Bibles were distributed, a school was started. 
From the contributions of the coast towns a new church was 
erected, and after passing through many vicissitudes it stands today 
as it has stood for years, a solitary reminder of the ancient village 
of Gosport from which the changing population shifted once more, 
leaving the houses spectral and deserted. In after years when a 
large summer hotel was built, the friendless old dwellings were 
demolished and what had been left of Gosport was improved out 
of existence. 

“No sign is left of all the town 
Except a few forgotten graves; 

But to-and-fro the white sail goes 
Slowly across the glittering waves. * 

“And summer idlers stray about 

With curious questions of the lost 
And vanished village, and the men. 

Whose boats by these same waves were tossed.” 

Years ago Mr. Leighton of Portsmouth on account of some 
affront moved over to the Isles of Shoals with a vow never to 
return to the main. He became the lighthouse keeper on White 
Island and he afterwards crossed over to Appledore and built a 
house in the valley. At the time his family were the only inhab¬ 
itants of Appledore, the island that so long before had given the 


84 


COASTAL MAINE 


name to an incorporated town. One summer he was asked to take 
a few boarders and he consented. The guests were so well pleased 
that Mr. Leighton erected a small summer hotel which afterwards 
grew to larger proportions. Once more a part of the Shoals’ enter¬ 
prise passed back to deserted Gosport and a large hotel also was 
constructed there, as already has been indicated. The evolution 
from a community of fishermen to a popular summer resort has 
been pretty well completed and during the warm months these 
islands are filled with the spirit of recreation and pleasure. The 
locality is unlike other vacation centers. There is an air of rest and 
leisure not to be found in the round of pleasures presented by Old 
Orchard and '^"ork Beach. There is no honking of automobiles and 
no noise from trolley cars and steam engines. The sense of remote¬ 
ness, of isolation perhaps, is present and the consciousness of the 
mighty and everlasting battle of the wasting, relentless depths and 
the elemental rocks abides always in the visitor’s mind. 

Many an evening as Mr. Leighton cared for the light, he was 
assisted by his little daughter Celia, whom Hawthorne styled the 
pretty Mirinda of the lovely isles. On the Shoals she lived her 

girlhood days and her 
mind became permeated 
with the wild, boister¬ 
ous beauty of the place. 
“Swept by every wind 
that blows,” she wrote 
in after life, “and 
beaten by the bitter 
brine for unknown ages, 
well may the Isles of 
Shoals be barren, bleak, 
and bare.” In her ma¬ 
ture life when she bore 

the name of Mrs. Celia 
Thaxter, she immortal¬ 
ized the history and legends of the islands she loved and knew so 

well in verses that ever will be esteemed as gems among the pro¬ 

ductions of this well-read author. 

As in the summer sunshine the visible glimmers of heat arise 
from the ledges of Appledore, so I fancy glimmers of some subtile 





COASTAL MAINE 


85 


force partly uncanny, weird, and spectral, arise from these same 
islands and pervade their atmosphere. Here, according to old re¬ 
ports, was a favorite landing place of the ubiquitous Captain Kidd 
and here he was wont to conceal his treasure. From an incident 
in the islands’ history comes the thought of a murder, cold-handed 
and vivid enough even to chill the blood of a devotee of a modern 
sensational newspaper, and the unhallowed tale once in the mind, 
like the stain on Lady Macbeth’s hand, will not out. A feeling 
of revulsion fills the visitor’s mind as he passes Betty Moody’s 
Hole in which the mother is said to have strangled her children 
so that their crying would not betray her to the Indians. The 
pallid ghost of old Babb, an ancient constable of these islands, 
still haunts one of the beaches of Appledore and is wont to snatch 
a villainous knife from its belt and shake it in the affrighted face 
of any person whom it chances to meet. In the time long ago 
Captain Teach, a pirate, also known as Blackbeard, came to these 
islands, loaded with the spoils of southern seas. Among his com¬ 
rades was a corsair named Scott who brought hither a beautiful 
woman with whom he shared his life and fortune. The time 
came when the pirates must sail away again in quest of ill-gotten 
riches; but before they sailed Scott took his fair companion to one 
of the islands apart from the others and showing her the hiding 
place of his treasure, he compelled her to take an oath to guard 
the place from the intrusion of all mortals until his return, even 
if that should not be until the day of judgment. It is supposed 
that the pirate crew met another ship before they had gone far 
and were worsted in the fight that followed, and at the last moment 
Captain Teach blew up his magazine and destroyed both vessels. 
But the corsair’s mistress remained true to her vow. More than 
once since that ill-fated day she has been seen on White Island, 
a tall, shapely figure, enveloped in a long coat, her neck and head 
uncovered save by her beautiful golden hair. Her features are 
beautifully rounded, but her face is as pale as marble. Thus she 
sweeps across the island until she reaches a rock projecting from 
the shore, where she stands with her countenance tense with expec¬ 
tation and looks out to sea and at length exclaims, “He will come 
again.” Thus is the treasure guarded as she awaits the return of 
her pirate lover. 












COASTAL MAINE 


87 


“Lonely, unknown, deserted, but for me 

And the wild birds that flit with mournful cry. 

And sadder winds, and voices of the sea 
That mourns perpetually.” 

In one of his voyages Martin Pring sailed five miles into the 
Saco River until he came to the falls and was well pleased with 
the fine groves and fair level country through which he passed. 
Champlain descried the Saco and referred to it as “a small river.” 
A few years later the Indians related to the fishermen and traders 
who came that way the mountain birth of the river far within the 
recesses of enchanted crystal hills. For the most stirring early 
description of this region we are indebted to Christopher Levett, 
who lost his bearings in the fog somewhere in this region. “We 
were enforced to strike our sail and betake us to our oars which 
we used with all the strength we had, but by no means could we 
recover the shore that night, being embayed and compassed round 
with beaches which roared in a most frightful manner on every 
side of us. * * * The next morning with much ado we got 
into Sawco. * * * We built us a wigwam in one hour’s space. 
Our greatest comfort we had next unto that which was spiritual 
was this: we had fowl enough for the killing, wood enough for 
felling, and good fresh water enough for drinking.” Levett 
ascended the river a short distance and reported that he saw “a 
world of fowl.” 

The first event of prime importance in the subsequent develop¬ 
ment of this locality came to pass in the autumn of 1616 when 
Richard Vines in one of Gorges’ vessels dropped anchor in the basin 
now widely known as Biddeford Pool and spent the winter there. 
On this account the place appropriately was named Winter Harbor. 
It chanced that the Indians there were afflicted with the small pox. 
Vines had been educated to be a physician and he and his men spent 
much time in the wigwams ministering to the redmen. The whites 
showed a surprising immunity to the disease and the season at Win¬ 
ter Harbor was spent in good health and comfort. Vines report 
presented this region to England in a new light and by counteract¬ 
ing the exaggerations spread abroad by the returned planters of the 
Popham expedition, this winter sojourn hastened the movements for 
permanent colonization. Indeed Vines himself a few years later 
established a settlement at Winter Harbor and made it his residence,. 


88 


COASTAL MAINE 


From the start “Factor” Vines engaged in prosperous trade and 
for some years was the mainstay of the community. He received 
land possessions from Gorges in return for inducing Englishmen 
to locate about the Saco, and he let out this land to the newcomers. 
As a yearly rent for one hundred acres, Thomas Wells paid five 
shillings, two days’ work, and one fat goose. Other rent agree¬ 
ments differed somewhat, but in general tenor the foregoing is 
fairly typical of all. In trade affairs the provisions for a fisher¬ 
man, including aqua vitae, went for about $14 a year and fish 
sold readily to merchants who bought the commodity for export. 
In everything Vines appears to have shown excellent judgment 
and to have been thoroughly honorable. The locality as a whole 
prospered and in 1636 the first court held within the confines of 
Maine convened at Saco. It is interesting in the light of subse¬ 
quent history to read that this first court promulgated our first 
Maine law for the regulation of the liquor traffic and forbade 
selling “strong liquor to injuns.” 

As time passed on Vines became involved in dispute over land 
titles with Cleves of Casco Neck, He was an Episcopalian, though 
not bigoted in his religious opinions, and a loyal follower of 
Charles I; and when that unfortunate sovereign met his death, 
Winthrop of Massachusetts, who up to that time had held to a 
neutral course regarding these two rivals in Maine, was not to be 
depended upon longer. Vines’ clear business head told him that 
in a new country where law and justice were so uncertain, the 
balances of fortune finally would turn away from him. Accord¬ 
ingly he closed out his business, and leaving many friends who 
sincerely regretted his departure, he sailed to Barbadoes to engage 
in new commercial ventures. 

Richard Bonython, one of the chief men of old Saco, built his 
house half a mile below the falls on the eastern side of the river. 
Quite a number of years later William Phillips, another influential 
man, built a garrison dwelling and mills on the western side close 
to the foot of the lower falls. In time a few other families cast 
their lots in this vicinity. In 1675 the Indians came to destroy 
these outlying stands of buildings and to kill or capture the scat¬ 
tered inhabitants. The Bonython dwelling was seen to be ablaze 
and thereupon the settlers hastened to the Phillips garrison house. 
Once begun, the conflict was waged in earnest and pressed by the 


COASTAL MAINE 


89 


■savages with unusual determination. For an hour they fought in 
the open and at such a disadvantage that it would have been foolish 
to have continued longer. Then they set fire to Phillips’ saw-mill 
and grist-mill, hoping that the English would come out to save 
the property. Again they attacked the garrison and kept up the 
firing through the afternoon and night to the setting of the moon 
at four o’clock. Then under the cover of the darkness they pro¬ 
jected a new method of attack much like that which la Brognerie 



A BUSY MANUFACTURING CENTER (bIDDEFORD) 


attempted a few years later before the Stover garrison at Wells. 
The redskins filled an ox cart with birch bark and other combus¬ 
tible materials, made a stout protection of planking at the front 
of the cart, and setting fire to their load they commenced to back 
the cart rapidly toward the garrison walls. Their plan was to 
wheel their collection of combustibles so close that the side of the 
garrison house must take fire, and they had hooks fastened to long 
poles with which they hoped to throw brands on the roof. The 
savages pushing with might and main were well protected behind 
their improvised breastwork and the project seemed likely to sue- 




90 


COASTAL MAINE 


ceed. Suddenly one of the wheels ran down into a small gutter 
and the cart tipped to one side far enough to expose the Indians. 
Part of them fell in their tracks and the others sought safety at 

full speed. The burn¬ 
ing cart lighted the 
night till dawn and the 
attack w'as not renewed. 
The inmates of the gar¬ 
rison betook themselves 
to Winter Harbor and 
the abandoned house 
was fired two or three 
days later by some of 
the Indians. 

Richard Bonython’s 
son, John Bonython, 
became notorious on account of his intractability. He was called 
“a degenerate plant”; and because he was counted as undependable 
as an Indian, he gained the nickname of Sagamore John. Indeed 
the traits of the redman generally were applied to him, and Whit¬ 
tier accepting the common account, pictures him 

“With blanket girt, and buskined knee. 

And naught of English fashion on.” 

He vehemently opposed the union of the Maine towns with 
Massachusetts and giving little heed to restraining counsel, openly 
defied the magistrates until a price -was set upon his head; but he 
managed to live on unharmed, and in his later years at least, it 
seems he settled down to the life of a respectable citizen and was 
at peace with society. Nevertheless his former reputation clung 
to his name and some wag, it is said, scratched the following 
epitaph on his tombstone: 

“Here lies Bonython, Sagamore of Saco; 

He lived a rogue, and died a knave, and went to Hobomoko.” 

Exercising the poet’s art, Whittier in Mogg Megone has woven 
Sagamore John into a character of permanent remembrance. The 
depiction of Ruth Bonython, the tiger-hearted daughter, has little 
foundation in fact and for the most part must have been formed 






COASTAL MAINE 


91 


in the poet’s mind, but with the poem as a foundation, various story 
tellers gradually are making her appear as a real person. 

This locality possesses a fascinating interest as the visitor wan¬ 
ders about the busy manufacturing cities and in retrospection pic¬ 
tures the intense strug¬ 
gles and changing con¬ 
ditions which have at¬ 
tended the progress of 
the past three hundred 
years. The land was 
subdued to the processes 
of civilization but slow¬ 
ly and with great toil. 

Development was re¬ 
tarded many years by 
the savages, and under 
the meager industrial 
opportunities that existed for the first century and a half, life was 
a continuous struggle for existence. Hard-worked men of humble 
attainments manned the ships, tilled the fields, and wrought in the 
mills. On Indian Island, in the center of the present hum of 

city life, the aborigines 
long continued to make 
night hideous with yells 
and drunken frolic. 
When Pepperrell^ 
dressed in red and gold, 
rode by, he was gazed 
at curiously by the peo¬ 
ple of these small com¬ 
munities and his coming 
was considered a grand 
event. Churches and 
highways developed gradually and with them came improved facili¬ 
ties to people whose lives necessarily were narrow in comparison 
with ours. When American shipping came into its glorious period, 
many a bark ascended the quiet waters of the Saco as far as these 
very falls; but today vessels are superseded by the railroads and 




FALLS IN THE SACO 












I'HE SEN'I'INEL PINE OF SACO BAY Courtesy Marne Naturalist 




COASTAL MAINE 


93 


save for an occasional schooner laden with coal or lumber, com¬ 
merce by water is a memory of the past. Paved streets and mam¬ 
moth factories have taken the places of forest trails and widely 
separated log cabins. The great solitude of the woods has been 
supplanted by the rattle 
and hustle of modern 
industrial life. People 
of diverse nationalities 
have come and have 
radically changed the 
structure of society; and 
altogether a progress has 
been attained which 
could not have been 
foreseen by the early 
planters, nor even pic¬ 
tured in their wildest 
dreams. 

Quite recently the possibilities of the river and the harbor as 
factors in the future growth of the cities have been considered care¬ 
fully, and with the further expansion of business it is likely that 
the great pool at the foot of the Lower Falls will again be broken 
by wharves and filled with shipping, and again the twin cities of the 
Saco will present the appearance of coastal as well as inland towns. 

As a stranger journeys from Saco to the coast, he may perchance 
pass beneath the tall pines of the camp meeting ground at Old 

Orchard, and before he can 
discern aught besides the trees, 
or the trees and a cottage street, 
he hears the booming of the 
sea. As he proceeds, however, 
the ocean is disclosed to his 
view and a long wall of surf 
comes rushing in from the vast 
green water expanse beyond. 
To right and to left as his eye 
follows the long crescent floor 
of sand the prospect enlarges, and he is willing to believe fully 
that he is overlooking the grandest beach of all our North Atlantic 



HEALTH AND HAPPINESS AT 
OLD ORCHARD 



The Wight Studio 
THE INCOMING WAVES 









94 - 


COASTAL MAINE 


shores. There is a freshness, withal there is a magnitude and a 
splendid setting that awakens instant appreciation. Away to the 


PLAYING ON THE ROCKS AT 
BAY VIEW 

surf at high noon on the twenty-sixth of June will be cured of 
all physical ills. As a matter of fact the hotel season does begin 
just before that date and the resort soon is filled with seekers of 
both health and pleasure. We think there must be some truth in 
that old report; at any rate we doubt it not while we watch the 
swimmers tumbling in the on-coming waves and remark that here 
is the finest bathing place in the world and that nowhere else are 
old Atlantic’s waters so 
exhilarating. 

This town takes its 
name from an ancient 
orchard that some old 
settler planted near 
Goose Fare Brook in 
the long ago. Not far 
east of Old Orchard 
the first public house in 
Maine, in all probabil¬ 
ity, was established as 
early as 1654, but that 
together with the early 
orchard long since was relegated to the realm of the past. In 
1842 some people traveling with a span and carryall asked Eben 
Staples if he would board them in his family and he agreed to 
do it for $1.50 per person per week. That was the beginning 
of Old Orchard’s development as a pleasure resort. There were 



RURAL SCENE IN HEART OF 
OLD ORCHARD 



east the scene is varied by the 
cliffs of Front’s Neck and 
by Stratton’s Island and Rich¬ 
mond’s. 

In the near waves are many 
bathers, all of them fairly 
awkward land creatures, dally¬ 
ing and plunging and per¬ 
forming various aquatic stunts. 
There is an old superstition 
that any one who dips in the 






















96 


COASTAL MAINE 


but three houses near the beach then. Now there is a good-sized 
town of many streets and stores and the many improvements that 
go with a considerable village. There is a cosmopolitan summer 
population of 25,000 and a permanent population one-tenth as 
large. 

Some of the hotels and a large part of the village are situated 
on a very gentle incline from which they can overlook the gaiety 
of the resort and the going out and coming in of the sea, but 
probably the favorite section is a long street, a conglomerate of 
hostelries, great and small, and all manner of summer homes built 
close to the ocean’s edge and facing the hard white sand and the 
unbroken deep. Everything evidences the watering place. Booths, 
shops, and the amusements and scenic attractions common in sea¬ 
side resorts stretch out in a rather bewildering array wherein people 
of the Orient compete with us of the Occident in the various occu- 



THE PIER 
















COASTAL MAINE 


97 


pations. A substantial steel pier nearly two thousand feet in length 
reaches out to sea. Stalls of all sorts of catch-penny devices line 
both sides of the walk thither, while at the outer end where steam¬ 
boats may land and where cool breezes ever are blowing there is 
a casino for dancing and vaudeville performances. Yet Old 
Orchard beach is extensive and not spoiled with artifices, as shore 
resorts in more populous surroundings sometimes are. 

Several religious societies have their summer meeting places in 
the groves. It is here that the fervent appeals of the Christian 
and Missionary Alliance bring such remarkable responses year after 
year. Young people, carried away with the fervor of the moment, 
dedicate their lives to missionary service. More than $100,000 
have been collected in a few minutes at the end of a meeting, and 
sometimes the offerings have been gathered amid influences so 
powerfully sensational, dramatic, and compelling that men and 
women even have stripped off their watches, rings, and necklaces 
to lay upon the altars. 

As the visitor overlooks the extensive sand beach and the in¬ 
coming tide, he little thinks he is gazing over a battlefield,—yet 
such is the fact. Away back in 1676 a company of young men 
from Kittery were there attacked by Indians and left scalped 
and bleeding on the sand. Later in the same year another 
battle was fought at the part of the beach now called Googins 
Rocks. Captain Wincholl while leading a detachment of soldiers 
from South Berwick to Black Point was surprised by a volley of 
bullets from Indians in ambush. The soldiers, some of whom 
were wounded by the unexpected onslaught, quickly retreated to 
the shelter of the rocks on the beach and held back their assailants. 
Their position, however, was fraught with peril, for in a short 
time the rising tide must needs drive them from their retreat and 
then the redmen would shoot them down. The tide had come 
up to their knees and hope already had gone when suddenly they 
heard the reports of muskets and saw their enemies put to flight. 
The noise of the fight had been heard at Winter Harbor, and 
immediately a band of volunteers had hastened to the rescue of 
the imperiled soldiers. 

Like nearly all other beach resorts Old Orchard is democratic. 
Well-groomed men of the city and richly gowned ladies rub elbows 


5 


98 


COASTAL MAINE 


with awkward mill-hands from Biddeford and Saco. Sunday 
afternoons sometimes as many as 50,000 people of all classes are 
mingled together,—farmers and their wives and children from the 
back country, and professional and business men of Portland and 
Boston and beyond, all wander along together in the pursuit of 
something to do or to see. And happily there is always present a 
sane contingent of visitors who esteem nature and grandeur more 
than mere amusement and excitement and going with the crowd,— 
people of the type that exerts an uplifting and, of necessity, a 
controlling influence in the world. For years afterwards the 
emotions impressed at Old Orchard reoccur in the mind and the 
erstwhile visitor again gazes over the vast restless expanse and 
listens to the booming of the sea. Oh! that tireless ever-moving, 
ever-changing, ever-sounding ocean! and the billows curling in, 
glistening and sparkling and all alive! 



CASCADE FALLS, SACO (nEAR OLD ORCHARD) 


In its early mountain course the Saco is a babbling stream, swirl¬ 
ing and coquettish, and inclined to idle shallows; but in its more 
mature course, after flowing through a region of great fertility, 





COASTAL MAINE 


99 


It settles down to harder work, and precipitating itself over high 
ledges carries on nearly the whole manufacturing works of Bidde- 
ford and Saco; and finally with the fierceness of its force abated, 
it flows quietly onward to the sea. It chances also that one of the 
streets of Biddeford straying out of the city past lanes and by-ways, 
at last becomes a wandering 
country road and follows be¬ 
side the terraced river to the 
place where its current passes 
through the breakwater to be¬ 
come lost in the sands and 
ocean beyond. This country 
highway passes among farms 
and little stretches of wood¬ 
land, but the river banks even 
now are clothed with forest 
with little to denote the in¬ 
roads of civilization save the 
decaying piles of the old land¬ 
ing places along the shore 
which date back to the pros¬ 
perous days of shipping. The 
road continues and finally 
winds about to Vines’ old win¬ 
tering place at Winter Harbor, 
now known as Biddeford Pool. 

The trade and commercialism 
that formerly existed there has long since departed and a summer 
colony of the better sort has sprung up on the site of the ancient 
settlement. The Pool, which is the western extreme of Old 
Orchard Bay, is a sort of inclosed body of water resembling a 
beautiful pond and is a natural curiosity not duplicated on our 
entire coast. 

Just beyond the little village a path leads through an old-time 
pasture whose soil is as full of stones as a pudding could be filled 
with plums, down to a cliff-formed point. There is no suggestion 
of sandy beaches nearby, but to the left is W^ood Island with its 
beacon light and little patch of black forest, and past that the 





100 


COASTAL MAINE 


entire expanse between the horns of Old Orchard’s crescent; 
straight ahead is one of the unsurpassable views of old Atlantic s 
boisterousness. As a person from the shore looks at the serrated 
reefs white with surf, he thinks of Levett’s adventures in the fog 

in some place not far 
away; nor does he won¬ 
der that the government 
has established a life¬ 
saving station here. 

From the Pool to 
Cape Porpoise is a beau¬ 
tiful coast country with 
occasional rocky head¬ 
lands and pebble beaches 
between, and behind all 
the evergreen forest 
line. The extent of the Maine coast is brought to mind when the 
visitor notes that this easily accessible reach of shore is unutilized, 
except for occasional tiny hamlets. In a big and comparatively 
undeveloped country this region of beauty and cool summer winds 
is waiting its time to become the recreation ground of thousands. 

A few miles west of Biddeford are the towns of Kennebunk 
and Kennebunkport. Kennebunk village in the former town with 
its stately residences, 
well-kept lawns, clean 
streets, and municipal 
playground, is one of 
the most attractive vil¬ 
lages in the State. The 
roadways are overarched 
by tall, beautiful elms 
which, common report 
has it, were set out the 
day the Battle of Lex¬ 
ington was fought. 

When Lafayette visited Maine in 1825 an interesting incident of 
his entertainment while in the village occurred beneath one of 
these trees and ever since it has been known as the Lafayette Elm. 








COASTAL MAINE 


101 


In addition to being the most celebrated, it very likely is the largest 
elm tree in Maine. One of the village church societies has an 
unbroken history from colonial times and its house of worship 
easily takes a place among the half dozen most interesting church 
edifices of the State. 

Hugh McCulloch was born in Kennebunk and lived his boyhood 
days there. When a young man he went to Indiana and practiced 
law until he became interested in banking. In 1865 Lincoln 
appointed him Secretary of the Treasury and for four years he 
performed the duties of his office with ability. In 1884 he again 
was called to become the head of the treasury department, where 
he remained until the end of President Arthur’s term. He was the 
only man who has held this important position twice. 

Today the village of Kennebunkport, whether nestling along 
its quiet, charming river, or facing the open sea, is one of the 
prettiest resorts that can 
be found in New Eng¬ 
land. It has grown rap¬ 
idly in recent years, espe¬ 
cially in the places which 
command a view of the 
ocean, and the summer 
homes, many of which 
are occupied by people of 
national reputation, indi¬ 
cate excellent taste and a 
sensible display of wealth. 

The Kennebunk threads 
the last mile of its course beside cliffs in some places, but usually 
between low shores verdant with water grasses among which a 
few short sand stretches serve for variation in this part of the 
basin. In strong contrast to this imperturbed water course is the 
outer or southern part of the village against whose solid rocky 
shores the battalions of old Neptune rush with a defiant roar. 

Another attractive center of Kennebunkport is the village of 
Cape Porpoise located on the land projection of the same name,— 
the most distinct promontory between the Piscataqua and Cape 
Elizabeth. Gosnold spoke of it as “an outgrowth of woody land.” 



MOONLIGHT SCENE, KENNEBUNK 
BEACH 




102 


COASTAL MAINE 


Champlain landed here in 1605 and was pleased by the glad songs 
of innumerable redwings and bobolinks, and when he had pro¬ 
ceeded to the Kennebunk River, he was still more surprised by 
the immense flocks of wild pigeons. Later Captain John Smith 
came to Cape Porpoise and gave it its present name. 

The village in part is built on a sightly hill at the foot of which 
is a snug little harbor and a nest of islands. The early settlement 
was considered a part of Saco and in the court records is the case 
of a man belonging in the latter settlement who was presented 
for asking “Must we be ruled by the rogues that come out of the 
rocks of Cape Porpoise?” 



FIRST PARISH CHURCH, KENNEBUNK 


The place was harassed severely by the savages and destroyed in 
1690. Some of the colony escaped from the attack made on them 
and fled, but the others were compelled to shut themselves up in 
a garrison on Stage Island and to undergo great hardship. The 








COASTAL MAINE 


103 


last mouthful of food had been swallowed, the last bullet had 
been rammed down a musket, the colonists had left the fort and 
retreated to the outer end of the island to save themselves from 
being surrounded, and there they expected tq perish; a crippled 
hero, Nicholas Morey, however, had escaped the vigilant watch of 



A STREET OF KENNEBUNKPORT 


the Indians the preceding night and in a leaking dory started to 
row to Portsmouth, some thirty miles away, to summon help. In 
the afternoon a vessel was seen entering the harbor. Morey had 
been successful. Without much trouble the savages were routed 
and the hard-pressed fugitives were saved. This siege was only 
one instance in thfs exposed outpost of civilization in which 
heroic women donned male attire and rendered effective help in 
defending the fort and mounting guard to deceive the bloodthirsty 
enemy. 

Throughout those early colonial years Cape Porpoise, largely 
because of its Indian troubles, was a destitute community, unable 





104 


COASTAL MAINE 


to support the preaching of the gospel or to maintain schools, and 
it was presented to the General Court at Boston for the neglect 
of almost everything that a town was expected to do. ‘ Poor 
Arundel” remained in poverty longer than any of its neighbor¬ 
ing settlements, but down towards the time of the Revolution it 
developed a brisk fish and lumber trade with the West Indies, and 
Cape Porpoise and “The Port” vied with each other in prosperity. 

We can think of no place more blessed by peaceful environment 
than these coast villages, and it never would occur to the tourist 
that these coves and rocks have echoed the murderous sounds of 
warfare since the cessation of Indian hostilities. Nevertheless such 
has been the event. Near the end of the W^ar for Independence 

an English brig carry¬ 
ing eighteen guns and 
a schooner carrying ten 
guns entered Cape Por¬ 
poise harbor and cap¬ 
tured two merchantmen 
that were anchored 
there. This action 
aroused the indignation 
of a patriotic but half¬ 
witted resident of the 
village who rowed out 
to the British vessels and boldly demanded the release of the two 
ships. As he came away he was seriously injured by the shots of 
English muskets. As if by a spark the spirit of the community 
was kindled and the Cape men determined to make a quick attack. 
They hastened to Trott’s Island with the evident intention of 
crossing over to Goat Island, near where the brig was stationed. 
To prevent that move the English hurriedly sent a few men to 
Goat Island, arid the schooner of ten guns, together with the 
brig, fired grape shot continuously down the narrow water passage 
between the islands. The Americans, nowise deterred by this heavy 
fire, made the crossing. The English on the island were out¬ 
numbered and retreated to their ship, and were followed by their 
assailants who were firing on them all the time. Fifteen of the 
British contingent were killed while Captain Burnham was the 



SPOUTING ROCK, KENNEBUNKPORT 



COASTAL MAINE 


105 


only man from the Cape to lose his life. Two cannon, found 
in the village and taken to Trott’s Island, were turned on the 
enemy vessels with enough effect to drive them from the harbor. 
Cape Porpoise has preserved more of its former style of life than 



FISH HOUSES, CAPE PORPOISE 

has Kennebunkport, and because of its old-time charm it is pre¬ 
ferred by some before its more modern and pretentious neighbor. 
To be sure summer homes and hotels are much in evidence, but 
an occasional fish net hangs over the picket fence of some front 
yard, and the character of the boats tied up at the bridge shows 
that the people have not altogether forsaken their ancient calling. 

Among the more popular places scattered along the Maine coast 
is the Scarboro summer resort of Prout’s Neck. In itself and its 
surroundings it differs considerably from other coast localities. It 
is a peninsula three miles in length, for the most part low and 
sandy, but terminating in an elevated head and rugged walls of 
rock well above the sea level. It is placed fairly in the midst of 
great beaches that stretch away in majestic crescents and form no 
inconsiderable part of the sandy coastline of southwestern Maine. 





106 


COASTAL MAINE 


At low tide the outlook extends over wide plains of sand, barred by 
the recession of the waves, and by thousands of acres of salt marsh 
cut by small tidal rivers. There is little to suggest the famed 
rock-ribbed coast so often associated with our State. 

The peninsula formerly was called Black Point. The island 
half a mile away is Stratton’s and was settled by John Stratton, 
perhaps in 1630. The mainland settlement on the Neck and 
extending to the back country all around it was commenced prob¬ 
ably in 1636 by Thomas Cammock, whose father is said to have 
wedded the Earl of Warwick’s daughter in a romantic runaway 
marriage. The scenery of this locality is remarkable and its his¬ 
toric interest holds an equal fascination. Nowhere else in the very 
early and trying days of the province did the cunning redskin roam 
the woods more persistently and spy on the English settlers more 
jealously and treacherously. Cammock was succeeding well with 
his undertaking, but in the prime of life he died during a visit at 
Barbadoes. Henry Josselyn, the son of an English knight, mar¬ 
ried Cammock’s widow and carried on the enterprise for forty 
years. The business of the colony was similar to that of the 
Vines establishment at Winter Harbor, that is, fishing mainly, 
supplemented by enough farming on leased lands to supply the 
wants of the people. 

Just before the First Indian War, Black Point possessed fifty 
dwellings, “a store of neat cattle and horses and seven hundred or 
eight hundred sheep, goats and swine.” There was a mill and 
storehouse, but no regular store. Traders came in ships and 
amongst their merchandise they did not fail to bring a generous 
supply of intoxicants. “The merchant comes with a walking 
tavern,—a bark laden with the legitimate blood of the rich grape, 
which they bring from Phail, Maderia, etc.. Brandy, Rhum and 
tobacco. Coming ashore he gives them a taste or two which so 
charms them that they will not go to sea again till they have had 
their drunken frolic out.” 

We are perhaps fortunate in having a historian of early Black 
Point in the person of John Josselyn, who came from England 
to these “barbarous shores” and lived a few years with his brother 
Henry. He was a fairly good chronicler in some respects; but 
for aught we know, not having looked up the subject carefully. 


COASTAL MAINE 


107 


he may have been the father of hyperbole, and it has to be admitted 
that his art of relating wondrous things was carried sometimes to 
such a length as to make the narrator disingenuous. Yet he was 
far from dull and much that we know of early colonial life in 
southern Maine is collected from his writings. 

As regards character, the settlers at Black Point appear to have 
been no exception to the common run in Maine. Josselyn classified 
them as “magistrates, husbandmen or planters and fishers both.” 
In another part of his history he states that the industrious and 
frugal gained comfortable livelihoods, but those of “dwarfish dis¬ 
positions” grew wretchedly poor and miserable. Some of the colo¬ 
nists “had a custom of taking to tobacco, sleeping at noon, sitting 
long at meals, and now and then drinking a dram of the bottle 
extraordinarily.” And those not of dwarfish dispositions, presum¬ 
ably, fed “generaly upon as good flesh, beef, pork, mutton, fowl, 
and fish, as any in the world besides.” 

Portions of Josselyn’s narrative are very diverting and we think 
he must have possessed some of the characteristics of those more 
primitive people who forged so many of our folk-lore stories and 
myths. He saw the mer¬ 
man, which we presume 
is a denizen peculiar to 
Scarboro waters. In 
the swamps were frogs 
standing a foot high. 

Just off the coast he 
saw the sea serpent,—a 
monster that has reap¬ 
peared with consider¬ 
able regularity through¬ 
out later years. He tells 
remarkable stories about 

the wolves and other wild beasts, but of the wild pigeons he says 
not much more than others have said when he observes: “there 
are millions and millions, neither beginning nor end, length nor 
breadth, and so thick that I could not see the sun.” 

Among Josselyn^s surprising accounts is the adventure of one 
Master Fox, who as he lay off shore one night in his shallop, saw 



PROUT s NECK 




108 


COASTAL MAINE 


a company of weird men and women dancing about a bright fire 
on the beach and ever calling him to come and join in the revelry. 
Possibly Fox knew the story of the passage of Ulysses past the 
Circean island, or the German legend of the Lorelei; at any rate 
he cautiously delayed his visit until the next morning and found 
only some wasted food and some charred sticks, the remains of 
the nightly festival. 

The beautiful resort at Prout’s Neck is only a small part of 
Scarboro, which also embraces the nearby summer colonies of Blue 
Point and Higgins Beach as well as the trim hamlet of Dunstan. 
Scarboro is largely a rural town. Its physical makeup is a union 
of extensive salt marshes punctuated with haystacks, of beaches, 
of level coastal plain and gently rolling hills. Several tidal rivers 
meander through the brown marshlands, the most noted of which 
is the Nonesuch, so called, we suppose, because no other river is so 
crooked, although Sullivan, the ancient historian of Maine, says 
it received its name from the “goodness of the soil” of the adjacent 

lands. This stream is 
most interesting at high 
tide when its banks are 
filled and ready to spill 
over and its whole wind¬ 
ing, sparkling course re¬ 
minds us of a mammoth 
sea serpent a thousand 
times larger than John 
Josselyn ever imagined. 

In colonial times 
Scarboro suffered terri¬ 
bly from Indian wars 
and frays. It was a 
dark and bloody ground 
and many were the battles and many were the tragedies enacted 
there. The chieftain Mogg was a near nighbor, and as undesir¬ 
able to the settlers as were they to the wily old redskin and his 
people. In King Philip’s War, Mogg with a hundred warriors 
suddenly appeared at Black Point and caused the alarmed English 
to hurry to Henry Josselyn’s strong house for protection. But 



ROAD TO PINE POINT (FORMERLY 
BLUE point) 





COASTAL MAINE 


109 


while Josselyn went outside to parley with the Indian leader, the 
settlers hastily abandoned the garrison house and sought safety in 
further flight. The deserted leader had no choice other than to 
surrender himself and his household to the savages. Subsequently 
the garrison was reoccupied and intrusted to Lieutenant Tappen, 
and the next year Mogg with a force of Indians again appeared 
and commenced an assault. With remarkable personal daring he 
besieged the garrison three days until he was killed by a well 
directed shot from one of the colonists. When the savages saw 
their chieftain fall they gave up the attempt and went away. The 
next month they had their revenge. Captain Benjamin Swett with 
a force of English ventured too for from the fortification and 
was fired upon from ambush. Before the garrison was reached 
Captain Swett and more than fifty of his men had lost their lives. 
In subsequent Indian wars Scarboro was twice abandoned. 

In 1703 John Larrabee erected a fortress at Black Point and 
afterwards with only eight available fighting men held his strong¬ 
hold against the attack of a large force of Indians and French. 
With his small following Larrabee with true Spartan valor re¬ 
fused to surrender. Exposed in their position and unable to 
endure the fire of the eight defenders, the assailants attempted 
to undermine the garrison which stood on a high terrace overlook¬ 
ing the sea; but after the digging of the soil had continued some 
days, the ground caved in so that the attacking force while at 
work would be at the mercy of the garrison’s fire. This was too 
much for the allied enemy to endure, and balked and sullen they 
skulked away. In other localities and times, such deeds of bravery 
as this defense of the garrison would have gained immortal renown, 
but owing probably to the sparse population and the remoteness of 
these colonies, many incidents that ought to be memorable in 
Maine’s history are nearly forgotten. Many an inhabitant of these 
towns in those early years died and bequeathed a record of heroism 
and a name which should be a prized possession of his descendants 
to-day. It is to be regretted that although many people of this 
section bear the same names as were common in those hazardous 
days, yet family achievements and history too often have been 
underestimated or forgotten. 

However, some of the heroes and heroines of this region of 
blood-written history are remembered. Mrs. Oliver at Flanders 


110 


COASl'AL MAINE 


Point, while her husband was away fishing in the Nonesuch, was 
startled by a group of savages trying to force the door of her house. 
Straightway she commenced calling the names of her neighbors as 
if they were present and giving orders for defense, while all the 
time she noisily rattled the ramrod in her husband’s musket; and 
her little girl, a chip of the maternal block, upset all the chairs and 
made a great racket. 7'he ruse was carried out so bravely and 

energetically that the 
Indians were alarmed 
and lost no time in get¬ 
ting away. 

Among the old-time 
residents of Scarboro, 
Richard Hunnewell was 
the most celebrated and 
bitter Indian hunter of 
them all. After one of 
the wars had been fin¬ 
ished and the news of 
the treaty of peace had 
been spread abroad, 
twenty settlers, Hunnewell being one of them, set out one autumn 
day to bring in some cattle which had run at large through the 
summer. The men were unarmed. Happy in the respite from 
savage warfare, they entertained no thought of danger; but when 
they had proceeded some distance and were skirting Great Pond 
not far from the Neck, a band of redskins fell upon them. Nine¬ 
teen of their number, or all but one, were struck down and thrown 
into the outlet of the pond. It added much to the Indians’ delight 
that Hunnewell was one of the slain. For years afterwards this 
body of water was called Massacre Pond and its outlet was called 
Bloody Brook. 

More pleasing is the story of Mary, the daughter of Captain 
Humphrey Scammon, who while visiting in Scarboro was captured 
by the Indians and taken to Canada. She was only eight or nine 
years old at the time, but remarkably bright and gifted. At 
Quebec she attracted the attention of Vaudreil, the governor, and 
was taken into his family and carefully educated. When she had 





COASTAL MAINE 


111 


grown to womanhood she married M. Diinincour, a gentleman of 
Quebec. Her parents had come to think of her as a child who 
was dead, but after long years had gone by the news of her 
whereabouts reached her family. Humphrey Scammon, her brother, 
went to her through the wilderness to induce her to return to her 
former home. He found his sister living in affluence. He was 
kindly met both by her and M. Dunincour; but he pleaded all in 
vain, for Madame Dunincour could not be induced to return. 

Mv thoughts of Portland are ever wont to associate themselves 
with Longfellow’s poem of the beautiful city by the sea. Port¬ 
land was born of the sea. In great part she has taken her growth 
from the sea and will continue to do so through the years to come. 
She nestles fondly in' old Ocean’s embrace like a trustful and 
loving child. There is no suggestion of an inland port such as 
we see sometimes at the head of a bay or along a tidal river, but 
the arms of the great surging ocean are close at hand and around 
all. Land and sea blend in perfect harmony. The city, to be 



THE UNION STATION 








112 


COASTAL MAINE 


sure, has reared her structures on the land, but she is ever conscious 
of the changeful sea. The harbor channels curve out to the vast 
open deep, past splendid islands, past beacons and fortifications, all 
picturesque, some gloomy, or forbidding, or terrible. 

In former years Nature said “Here shall be a city.’’ Sterling 
settlers came and replied “We will do our part.” Portland has 



MAINE CENTRAL COAL POCKETS 

become the metropolis of Maine and the second port of New Eng¬ 
land. Today her regular routes of water travel lead to New York, 
Boston, and the Maritime Provinces of Canada; to Liverpool and 
Glasgow, to Hamburg and Amsterdam; and in the years past her 
ships have penetrated the recesses of every ocean and every quarter 
of the marine commercial world. Her railroads radiate to all 
parts of the commonwealth, to the South and the West, to the 
White Mountains, and to the vast and progressive Dominion in 
the North. Big elevators loom up at the water-front, great whole¬ 
sale houses line the streets nearest to the wharves, and Portland’s 













C O A S 1' A L MAINE 


113 


whole commercial system in these days of strenuous competition 
is surprisingly extensive and complete. 

After viewing the massive factories of Biddeford or Lewiston, 
a visitor would not think of Portland as a mill city. Long con¬ 
tinuous walls and myriad whistles do not proclaim it such. Never¬ 
theless it is the leading manufacturing city in Maine. It also is 



LOOKING TOWARDS THE ISLANDS 

one of the principal centers of agricultural trade. Its fishing fleets 
bring rich tribute from local and more distant fisheries. In sum¬ 
mer so many thousands of tourists throng its hotels, streets, and 
environs, that it is recognized as one of the greatest vacation resorts 
of New England. But first, last, and always, it is a firmly estab¬ 
lished commercial city and ranks among the well-known trade 
emporiums of the world. 

The older part of the city is built on a small peninsula which 
runs parallel to the main body of land. It is connected with the 






114 


COASTAL MAINE 


Deering district, the newer part of the town, comparatively speak¬ 
ing, extending northward over an ancient coastal plain. The older 
part, as we would expect, contains the main business section; the 
newer part is devoted chiefly to pleasant and attractive homes. A 
good idea of old Portland can be formed when it is approached 
from the sea. Several miles of harbor front, serrated by wharves 
and docks, are lined with ugly, broad-roofed storehouses which 
proclaim the character of the place; while extending back from 
the long waterline and upward over a graceful slope lies the city. 
Off at the right are islands, partly forest-covered, partly given to 
city streets, to summer homes, and pleasant resorts. The entire 



FORT ALLEN PARK-EASTERN PROMENADE 

prospect is interesting, inviting. Every part is fitted into its right¬ 
ful place. The natural, old-time aspect of the town has been 
changed, but has not been utterly destroyed. 

Any description of Portland is likely to begin with its scenic 
charm. It is little wonder that the new comer is pleased with its 
insular beauty, its abrupt headlands, and the sinuous windings of 
its shores. A true explorer hereabouts finds no monotony, no dearth 
of variety. As he overlooks the eastern slopes of .Munjoy Hill 
the impressions that come crowding into his mind can not be easily 
forgotten. He is in one of the most exquisite little corners of 
Portland’s park system. From his vantage point the land terrace 
descends sharply to the sea-water many feet below. Some cannon. 













COASTAL MAINE 


115 


shrubbery, and a curving driveway on the brow of the hill mark 
the site of old Fort Allen, one of the principal defenses of the city 
in the War of 1812. The broad, flawless street to the north 
overlooking the bay is the Eastern Promenade. But the tourist is 
thinking chiefly of the grand prospect before him. It is one of 
the moments when he realizes the narrow limitations of his own 
mind, an occasion of enjoyment mingled with the longing for 
perceptive powers great enough to comprehend and appreciate fully 
the entire panorama before his eyes instead of feeling that he can 
grasp it only imperfectly at best. 

Away to the east are the Falmouth Foresides sloping easily to 
the sea, while the intervening stretch is made up of water and 
land forms of irregular shape. In the harbor straight ahead is 
an old discarded fort, rising boldly from the surrounding waves 
and calling back to mind the days when the wooden man-of-war, 
impelled by the winds, was the premier of the ocean. Beyond are 
the waterways winding among the nearer islands of Casco Bay. 
Just across the harbor to the south are Peaks Island and Cushing’s 
and the Cape Elizabeth shore, between which the deep water chan¬ 
nels run out to the open ocean, an unbroken blue expanse extending 
miles away to its meeting place with the overhanging clouds. Far 
off a trail of smoke marks the path of some incoming steamship; 
a six-masted ship laden with southern lumber is sailing into the 
lower harbor, and smaller craft and pleasure boats hurry back and 
forth to increase the activity of the scene and leaven it with the 
warmth of human interest. Truly, here, if ever, the tired way¬ 
farer is tempted to wile away an interesting and restful hour 
where the refreshing sea breezes love to sport and linger for a 
moment before beginning their inland flight. 

At the opposite extremity of the old city—the West End—is 
another terrace hill, bolder even than its eastern fellow, that is 
called Bramhall’s Hill. Just back from the steep descent of the 
terrace a perfectly finished roadway extends through another beau¬ 
tiful strip of Portland’s park system. This street is the Western 
Promenade. Here also the first impressions coming to the mind 
are too vivid to be forgotten. The tourist feels that here is a 
place of remarkable beauty. The walks and smoothly mown grass 
are pleasing evidences of the city’s care. The wealthiest residential 




WESTERN PROMENADE 















COASTAL MAINE 


117 


section of Portland extends back from the Western Promenade. 
There is abundant evidence that this locality has assumed more 
pretentious airs than it was wont to present when George Bramhall 
operated his tannery here in the earlier history of the town. The 
old order has passed and made way for the new. 

However, it is the wide, diversified view that holds the observer 
spellbound. Momentarily, at least, the mind is disconcerted in its 
attempt to encompass such an extended prospect. On the one side 
the coastline changes, or seems to change, from a broken to a 
regular course. Mile after mile, many miles stretch away to the 
point where all is lost to view. 

To the landward a piedmont 
region occupied by farms alter¬ 
nating with forest areas rises 
slowly to meet the Conway 
mountains in New Hampshire; 
while thirty miles beyond the 
nearer ranges, the massive walls 
in solid array and the lofty 
peaks of the Presidential Range 
form the grand climax of the 
entire scene. At evening when 
the clouds are lit with a golden 
glow, or dyed with gorgeous 
hues, the sunset as viewed from 
Bramhall Hill beggars de¬ 
scription. 

Coming back to the scene 
close at hand, a good idea of 
the Deering district is gained 
from this point. The streets 
usually intersecting at right angles contrast noticeably with the less 
orderly thoroughfares in the older part of the town. Glimpses of 
the Baxter Boulevard winding irregularly around the Back Bay 
challenge our attention. Probably the most engaging section of 
our nearer view is Deering Oaks,—the Deering’s Woods of Long¬ 
fellow,—a forest park of fifty acres in the thick of the city. The 
sturdy old oaks were not put in place by landscape gardeners, but 



THE REED STATUE, WESTERN 
PROMENADE 







118 


COASTAL MAINE 


stand all in irregular order just as Mother Nature brought them 
forth. Sometimes the park is thronged by hundreds of people, and 
often it echoes with the shouts and laughter of children; at another 
time it suggests something of the quiet spirit of the deep woods. 
The land is cut up by ravines that center in a little lake among 
the trees. Pathways once, but walks now, lead through this urban 
forest and rustic bridges have been thrown over the little brooks. 
The entire park is squirrel-haunted and in springtime the merry 

songsters from the tree-tops 
flood the grove with music and 
rejoicing. 

An early ramble in the 
morning before the busy 
throng is afoot awakens a 
keen appreciation of Portland. 
A refreshing coolness then fills 
the air and everything is at its 
best. Every tree and every 
ivy-sided church and every 
lawn is bathed in dew. State 
Street is an inspiration in these 
early hours. Fine old elms 
join their branches in an archway overhead. The stately old 
houses evince the straight lines, the square effect and the solidarity 
that characterized the best Maine architecture of rather more than 
a hundred years ago. Many of the residences on this street were 
builded by sea captains in the early years of the nineteenth century 
when activity and expansion boomed Portland’s waterfront and 
wealth from the West Indies poured freely into the town. In 
those days it was fashionable to have a spacious hallway leading 
through the house from front to rear, leading to a large garden 
instead of the conventional back yard. With all our ideas of 
modern improvements we have hit on nothing more sensible and 
satisfying. In this street where wealth never has been lacking it 
is pleasant to notice the excellent preservation of the substantial old 
mansions. True, some edifices of modern style have been set into 
the old order and alterations and additions have been made, but 
in nearly every instance the good taste of the owner has preserved 



A STATE STREET HOUSE 









COASTAL MAINE 


119 


the old lines as nearly as possible, and as a result, we find here a 
thoroughfare so unusual, so unique, so noteworthy withal as to 
deserve honorable mention among the few really famous streets 
of American cities. 

From the foot of State Street is an interesting jaunt along the 
waterfront and among the wharves where ocean liners, tramps, 
fishermen, and coasters meet, all diverse and bringing people of 



STAl'E STREET IN MIDWINTER 


different occupations and habits, all mingling in the same port and 
adding to the commercial strength of the city. Even in these 
prosaic days there remains something in the searfarer’s life quaint 
and curious to the landsman, and there is a willingness to loiter 
about the wharves and listen to the shouting and jargon of the 
sea folks as they unload their cargoes, netted perhaps from the sea, 
or transported from distant shores. 

We have attempted sometimes to picture this region as it was 
three hundred years ago and to trace some of the events that have 









120 


COASTAL MAINE 


changed this peninsula from its pristine state to the seat of a well 
established city. When Champlain cruised along this coast in 
1605 , he was searching for a harbor suitable for the location of 
the capital of a new-world empire. Imagine that intrepid navi¬ 
gator as the summer winds wafted his small craft past the islands 
of Casco Bay, all solitary and overgrown then with the green 
forest, but now the vacation grounds of thousands. He landed 
at Isle de Bacchus, now prosaically called Richmond’s Island, and 
wondered at the wild grapes and fields of maize. Then he looked 

back at the grand old 
headland, then un¬ 
named, and the out¬ 
stretching islands laved 
by the ocean and en¬ 
veloped in mystery. It 
is little wonder that 
the surroundings excited 
the mind of adventure- 
loving Champlain and 
fired his zeal for the 
New France that was 
to be. But he loosed 
his anchor and sailed 
down past the sand beaches and beyond them, always spying the 
coast and turning in occasionally, it may be, to explore the shores 
of some promising inlet or river, only to come out again to resume 
his course. And finally he turned about and sailing to the great 
north country, he afterwards established frowning Quebec, all un¬ 
mindful that in one of the narrow recesses of the bay close by 
his landing place at Isle de Bacchus he had overlooked the very 
harbor and location for a city which more than any other place 
would have rejoiced his heart. We sometimes look over the 
water of Portland’s harbor and drifting out on the tide of 
imagination a little way, conjecture what would have been the 
course of American history, had Champlain searched these en¬ 
closures more minutely and saved the locality to France. As it 
was, the opportunity was lost and the settlement of Portland was 
left to men of less historic renown and to the nation then most 
hateful to the French. 





COASTAL MAINE 


121 


Some years later Christopher Levett, a master mariner of York, 
came across the Atlantic with a clearly defined purpose of colo¬ 
nization. He first reached the Isles of Shoals whence he pursued 
an easterly course. Levett was observant, appreciative, and adapt¬ 
able to new surroundings. His adventures in the New World 
were fraught with a fascination that made his fortunes as inter¬ 
esting as those of a knight errant of Coeur de Leon’s time. He 
explored the shore carefully and was especially impressed with the 
advantages of the new country after he had rounded the point of 
Cape Elizabeth,—in other words, with the confines of what is 
now Portland harbor. “There are four islands which make one 
good harbor,” he wrote, “and there is very good fishing and much 
fowl and the main is as good as any can desire.” He went up 
the Presumpscot river 
to the first falls, now 
Cumberland Mills, and 
turning back, continued 
his voyage of investiga¬ 
tion as far as the pres¬ 
ent Boothbay region. 

He was pleased with all 
this new country but 
decided to return to the 
harbor made by four 
islands. On this return 
trip Levett took with 
him a local chieftain, 

Cogawesco, and his wife and child; or as he wrote it, “The next 
day I sailed for Quack, or York, with the king, queen and prince, 
bow and arrows, dog and kitten, in my vessel. His noble attend¬ 
ants rowing by us in their canoes.” On one of the islands, prob¬ 
ably the one now named House Island, Levett built a storehouse 
and called the place York. Here he stayed through the winter. 
The next year he garrisoned his storehouse with ten men and went 
to England, doubtlessly intending to return soon. His well laid 
plans miscarried and he never again saw the American shores. 
What hindered him we do not know with any certainty. Neither 
do we know the fate of the garrisoned house and the ten men. 






122 


COASTAL MAINE 


It is likely that they remained on the island one winter and returned 
to the old country the next summer aboard some of the fishing 
vessels. LevetCs project was serious and under his leadership we 
would have expected it to terminate successfully; nevertheless it 
came to naught and the fate of Portland’s first settlement is 
enshrouded in mystery. 

A few miles from Portland on the western coast the tide of the 
Spurwink flows back over the land. In our time it is idyllic to 
rest on an old bridge which crosses the river and look off to sea. 
The river channel, so small that in places a pebble could be thrown 
across it, embosoms some low, grassy islands and turns away to 
a rugged bank with overhanging trees. On the opposite side is an 
expanse of marshland, and back of that are green hill-slopes in 
whose fields farmers are harvesting the hay. A few wild fowl 
are flying above the stream. Such a river is the quiet Spurwink 
passing through a restful country. 

Once these river banks were overgrown by deep forests, the 
haunts of wild animals and savage men. The land was unculti¬ 
vated, the place was uncivilized. The marshland alone formed 
an avenue between the forest walls. It is possible that this one 
open strip in the great woods seemed inviting to the white man 
and that for that reason George Cleeve and Richard Tucker 
here first reared their lowly cabin. These two settlers, however, 
scarcely had possessed their new home a single season before there 
arose a land-title dispute destined to develop into a conflict that 
would harry this section of Maine for many years. The influence 
against Cleeve was strong, and with his partner, he betook himself 
to the other side of the Cape,—to Machegonne,—and in 1632 
established the town now called Portland. 

Probably Cleeve expected to hold his new possessions unmolested, 
but in reality his troubles were only in the beginning. The coun¬ 
cil for New England had granted land supposed to be in the Cape 
country to Richard Bradshaw, and Tucker had acquired Bradshaw’s 
rights. Also Richmond’s Island and land between the Spurwink 
and Machegonne had been granted to Robert Trelawny and Moses 
Goodyear, two merchants of old Plymouth, and Trelawny who 
appears to have been the active partner, placed John Winter at 
Richmond’s to take charge of his business. Trelawny and Winter 
made it out that the two grants conflicted. In the struggle that 


COASTAL MAINE 


123 


grew out of this situation, Winter’s claims were supplemented by 
the active cooperation of Cammock of Black Point, followed by 
Henry Josselyn, of Richard Vines, and of Winter’s successor, 
Robert Jordan. The section for which these men finally con¬ 
tended has since become 
the most populous part 
of our State and in those 
days was no mean prize. 

On the one side was 
Cleeve, a Roundhead, 
almost single-handed 
and without abundant 
available means. His 
enemies maligned him 
as avaricious and dis¬ 
honest, and Governor 
Winthrop described him 
as a jealous, contentious man who had set the whole province by 
the ears. In reality he displayed much honor and honesty. He 
was a true pioneer of no mean ability, unpolished, perhaps, but 
stout and fearless in upholding his rights, and likely to seize and 
use whatever weapons he could in the rough and ready warfare 

in which he found him¬ 
self engaged. On the 
other side was Vines, 
the level-headed busi¬ 
ness man and trusted 
agent of Sir Ferdinan- 
do Gorges; there was 
Josselyn, able and pos¬ 
sessing the qualities of 
leadership that com¬ 
manded respect; and 
with him there was 
Jordan, an Oxonian 
and an Episcopalian minister, descended from the all-conquering 
Northmen stock. In every respect Jordan seems to have been a 
true son of old Normandy, a man unquiet, over-reaching, am¬ 
bitious, and likely to gain his ends by some means or other. 




IN HONOR OF WILLIAM CLEEVE 







124 


COASTAL MAINE 


After Cleeve had settled at Machegonne, Winter continued to 
assert that he still was within the confines of Trelawny’s grant 
and a trespasser therein. Cleeve was uneasy in regard to the 
situation, and accordingly he went to England, presented his case 

to Sir Ferdinando and 
from him received a 
grant of the “neck of 
land called by the 
Indians Machegonne.” 
Nevertheless the right¬ 
fulness of this action 
was denied by Winter 
with persistency, and 
Cleeve was opposed 
strongly by Vines and 
others. Nothing was 
settled. In 1630 the 
Lygonia patent includ¬ 
ing the land from Cape Porpoise to the Sagadahoc had been issued 
and an attempt at colonizing it had been made, but as it turned 
out the planters joined the neighboring communities instead of 
attempting to make a new settlement. Cleeve began to think of 
the possibilities latent in 
this patent. It ante¬ 
dated the Trelawny 
grant and if he could 
gain possession of its 
rights, Cleeve thought 
he saw his rights se¬ 
cured. Again he went 
to England. He in¬ 
duced Sir Alexander 
Rigby to purchase the 
onia pact, and 
Cleeve in turn was ap¬ 
pointed deputy president of the district by the new proprietor. 
Cleeve also appealed to the House of Commons, making complaint 
against the claims of Vines and others, and the Commons responded 
by appointing a commission of four prominent men of New 


i 



EXPOSITION BUILDING 



LINCOLN PARK 





COASTAL MAINE 


125 


England, including Governor Winthrop, to hear the testimony and 
to settle all disputed points justly. 

When Cleeve returned invested v^ith the authority of deputy 
president of Lygonia, Vines viewed the new order with indig¬ 
nation. In a letter to Winthrop he referred to the Lygonia patent 
as “an old broken title which was deserted fifteen years past.” 
Between the Kennebunk River and the Sagadahoc there was au¬ 
thority for two conflicting governments,—the Gorges interest and 
the Rigby interest pitted against each other. Cleeve suggested that 
the whole matter be submitted to the magistrates of Massachusetts 
for arbitration, but Vines would not agree to it. When Tucker bore 
the written proposal to 
Vines in Saco, he was 
arrested for “premp- 
tory and abusive lan¬ 
guage,” according to 
Vines. Although he 
was released the next 
day. Tucker, as we nat¬ 
urally would suppose, 
was highly indignant 
concerning the treat¬ 
ment he received. Vines 
became more aggressive 
and issued warrants 
for the arrest of both 
Cleeve and Tucker. Cleeve made frequent appeals to Winthrop 
to exercise the duties imposed upon him and the three other com¬ 
missioners by the House of Commons, but at that time King 
Charles and the Puritans were at war and the cautious Bay Colony 
governor was not inclined to side with either party in Maine until 
he knew how the struggle in the mother country would terminate. 
Had he foreseen the dethronement of King Charles, probably he 
would not have hesitated. 

The General Court of the Province of Maine elected Vines 
deputy governor, with the proviso that if he should resign, Henry 
Josselyn should succeed to his office. But events in England were 
going dead against the royalists and within the year Vines moved 
to Barbadoes, as we have stated before, to engage in business there. 





126 


COASTAL M AIN K 


His successor was considerably more active and determined than 
Vines had been. Cleeve called a court at Casco, as Mache- 
gonnc was now beginning to be called, and Josselyn and his fol¬ 
lowers appeared in force. Rev. Thomas Jenner of Saco com¬ 
menced the day’s business with preaching,—a very proper procedure 
at a time when there were so many possibilities of trouble. In 
a letter to the Massachusetts governor Rev. Jenner wrote: “Mr. 
Josselyn and his company came armed with guns or swords or 
both; Mr. Cleeve and his company, unarmed.” Josselyn de¬ 
manded that he might see Cleeve’s documents, probably the Lygonia 
patent, the mandate from the House of Commons, and his appoint¬ 
ment as deputy president by Rigby. After some hesitation the 
papers were produced and inspected. Cleeve in turn demanded 
that he might see some documentary authorization of Josselyn’s 
right to occupy the office of deputy governor. No such proof was 
forthcoming. Disagreements and disputes filled the day’s proceed¬ 
ings until the last moment when both sides agreed to submit the 
troublesome matter to the Massachusetts magistrates. At the hear¬ 
ing in Boston which followed, Governor Winthrop stated that both 
of the contending parties “failed in their proof” and he exhorted 
both leaders to go home and live peacefully “till the matter might 
be determined out of England.” The settlement came sooner, 
even, than was expected and was favorable to Rigby. Cleeve’s 
authority as governor of Lygonia was no longer questionable and 
he proceeded to set up his government. Josselyn and Jordan not 
only submitted but sat as judges with Cleeve and for a time the 
three men worked together in harmony. By a court decision, 
signed by Cleeve and others, Jordan came into possession of the 
Trelawny property, and from that time was not only a man of 
considerable wealth but of greatly increased influence. He estab¬ 
lished a sawmill on the Presumpscot and then in spite of court 
decisions which should have settled the case forever, he artfully 
revived the Trelawny claim of the territory of Casco. At once 
the former conditions of uncertainty were renewed. Already the 
Bay Colony gradually was extending its jurisdiction over New 
Hampshire and evidence was not wanting that a similar policy 
would be attempted over Maine and Lygonia. Confronted with 
these new threats against his continued authority, for the third 
time Cleeve went to England. Baron Rigby was now dead and 


COASTAL MAINE 


127 


the situation was presented to his son and heir, Edward Rigby. 
Affairs in England were unsettled and no action from the govern¬ 
ment could be obtained. Rigby did all that he could towards 
restoring a satisfactory order of justice in Lygonia, but he could 
not do much good. When Cleeve returned, he bore a letter from 
the proprietor upbraiding the opponents of the deputy president and 
ordering them to act in peace and harmony with the existing regime. 



IN THE OLD PART OF PORTLAND 

By this time the wily and determined Puritans at Boston had 
been restudying their provincial charter and had made the truly 
astonishing discovery that the Massachusetts boundaries ran so far 
north and east that they included all of the Province of Maine and 
that part of Lygonia west of the Presumpscot. Cleeve sought 
information of the Massachusetts officials and remonstrated, and 
for once he and his Episcopalian neighbors, Josselyn and Jordan, 
made common cause against the designs of Boston and Salem; but 
in spite of the strength of this influential trio, the stable govern¬ 
ment of the Puritans appealed strongly to many of the settlers of 
Maine, perplexed as they were over rival authorities and titles to 
land, and all resistance was in vain. Saco, Scarboro, and Casco 
all submitted to the rule of the Bay Colony. 






128 


COASTAL MAINE 


Even then, not all of the troubles were settled. In 1660 
the landholders of Casco petitioned the General Court at Boston 
to consider the claims that had grown out of the conflicting 
patents of Cleeve and Jordan. It seems that they feared the 
latter claimant would oust them “so that noe man shall enjoy 
what he has labored uppon and Possessed.” The petitioners stated 
that they were “hoping for a comfortable answer,” but such a 



CONGRESS STREET 

return was not given. Jordan’s subtile strategy had succeeded so 
well that Cleeve thought himself in a fair way to be ruined. He 
appealed to the courts, but got no redress. The Restoration in 
England came and commissioners sent over by the king restored the 
whole region as far as the Sagadahoc to the heirs of Gorges and 
pronounced the titles given by Cleeve null and void. Worn out 
in a hard and unequal conflict the old pioneer saw his influence and 
property wane until he came face to face with the realization that 
he must live the last years of his life as a comparatively poor man. 




COASTAL MAINE 


129 


Although Cleeve’s efforts ended in personal disappointment, yet 
they served the general good; for beside his log cabin another had 
arisen and at some distance another until Casco became a well 
established settlement. We honor him for building as best he 
could, and we know now that he built well. 

Among the other early residents of the town we may mention 
Michael Mitton, who married Cleeve’s daughter Elizabeth. The 
fellow had his faults as the court records show; and yet Michael 
may have been a valued citizen. Certainly he was a renowned 
huntsman and fowler on both land and sea, and in our time he 
is remembered chiefly on account of his unusu^Ji adventures. In 
the fine art of story telling he had no equal. His mind was pro¬ 
lific and adaptable, and his memory ought to be enshrined warmly 
in the hearts of all good fellows of his kind in the Portland of 
to-day. Once when Mitton was fowling among the islands in the 
bay, he encountered a Triton who swam up and grasped the side 
of his canoe. The doughty Michael promptly seized a hatchet 
and cut off one of the offending hands, whereupon the sea denizen 
presently sank back under the waves, dyeing all the surrounding 
water with its purple blood, and was seen no more. 

The early people of Casco were industrious folks. Fishing 
down the bay and outside Cape Elizabeth was carried on profit¬ 
ably. There was some trade in lumber and after a considerable 
time had elapsed shipbuilding came into being. Furs were bought 
from the Indians and a coast trade in bricks was established. A 
pillory and a whipping post were set up, and in time molasses 
was brought from the West Indies for the distillation of rum. 
In short, there were introduced all the essentials of the business, 
government, and encouragement of an early colonial settlement. 

Like all other Maine communities Casco Neck, or Falmouth, 
as it began to be called, was terrified and harassed by the Indians, 
and in King Philip’s War it was abandoned entirely. Five years 
later it was thriving again; but there was scarcely a family circle 
from which some well loved member was not missing. 

In King William’s War, Major Benjamin Church was sent to 
defend Falmouth and the nearby places. He landed at dusk and 
entered Fort Loyal, the stronghold of the town. That same night 
the Indians came. The sun barely had risen when Captain Hall 
discovered the savages on the opposite side of Back Cove. He 

6 


130 


COASTAL MAINE 


attacked them immediately, v/hile Major Church who had been 
apprised of what was going on hastened to come up with the rest 
of his command. Just then it was discovered that nearly all the 
bullets on hand were too large for the guns and the impatient 
major was obliged to delay until the leaden balls could be ham¬ 
mered out and cut into slugs. Meantime a lively skirmish was in 
progress in Anthony Brackett’s orchard on the farther side of the 
cove, and there was danger that Hall would be driven from his 

position on account of 
the lack of ammunition. 
Major Church sent up 
the necessary supplies, 
but owing to the depth 
of water those to whom 
the task was intrusted 
did not dare to cross the 
reach. Nobody seemed 
to know what to do un¬ 
til Captain Lightfoot, a 
friendly Indian, waded 
to the peninsula side 
and having placed a 
knapsack of powder on 
his head, he took a kettle of bullets in each hand and made good his 
return. In spite of a spirited opposition Church finally effected a 
union with the forces under Hall and drove the enemy into a swamp. 

The conditions were such that Church’s victory could not pro¬ 
duce lasting effects. The next year the French and Indians came, 
the settlement was attacked, the village was burned, and under 
conditions that guaranteed protection the fatigued garrison sur¬ 
rendered. The conditions were violated, defenseless children and 
mothers were murdered brutally, and such captives as were spared, 
were marched through the woods to Quebec. Twenty-five years 
elapsed before Falmouth was settled again. The inhabitants that 
escaped were now few and poor; but the people of Maine were 
of dauntless fiber and one after another the settlers came back to 
reconstruct and to reinhabit their town. 

In 1703 there was a great gathering of the redskins at Falmouth. 
Another war between England and France had commenced and 



CONGRESS STREET LOOKING TOWARDS 
MUNTOY HILL 





COASTAL MAINE 


131 


the governor of Massachusetts, wishing to counteract the influence 
of Quebec, invited the principal men of the Indian tribes to meet 
him in common council. When all nature was recreated by the 
magic of June, the Indians came,—the Pennecooks from New 
Hampshire, the Sokokis from the vales of the Saco, the Tarran- 
tines from the Penobscot, and the Androscoggins from their nearer 
habitations, some hundreds in all, resplendent in paint and feathers 
and brilliant apparel. In their might they emerged from their 
forest retreats, or glided gracefully landward in their birchen 
canoes. Soon the village streets were filled with active people and 
an unusual bustle and commotion which Parson Smith likened to 
the bluster of a Harvard commencement. Paleface and copper- 
face were suspicious enough of each other, each with cause enough. 



M UN JOY HILL OBSERVATORY 

as they joined in the great pow-wow. Indian chiefs expressed sen¬ 
timents of friendship with an eloquence and simplicity worthy of 
Homer’s heroes, if we may accept the reports as given out; and 
at the conclusion of the conference two high heaps of stones were 
left as mute witnesses of a declaration of lasting peace. The 
duration of the treaty, unfortunately, was less than three months. 





132 


COASTAL MAINE 


and in August an Indian attack was made on Falmouth. On the 
whole, however, the affairs of the town ran on prosperously to the 
time of the Revolution. 

The inhabitants of Falmouth were filled to the brim with the 
intense patriotism that swept the colonies in those stirring days 
which preceded ’76. They knew their rights and dared to main¬ 
tain them. After Par¬ 
liament had passed the 
Stamp Act, a brig from 
Halifax brought the 
hated paper to this port. 
It was lodged in the 
customs house. A mob 
gathered and demanded 
the stamps. The official 
had little choice, except 
to comply. The stamps 
were surrendered, carried 
through the streets on the 
end of a long pole, and 
finally burned. When 
the news of the Stamp 
Act’s repeal came, the 
joy of the citizens was 
manifested by the ring¬ 
ing of bells, the firing of 
cannon, and the making 
of bonfires “with so much ordering and decorum that it did great 
honor to the town.” 

When the news of the Boston Port Bill was received, the bell of 
the First Parish Church was tolled from sunrise until nine o’clock 
at evening to express sympathy for the sister town. But the patriotic 
climax came in 1774 when the citizens incited with the fervor of 
the period, assembled in the old Falmouth townhouse and passed 
the resolution that “Neither the Parliament of Great Britain, nor 
any other power on earth has a right to lay a tax on us without 
our consent, or the consent of those whom we might choose to 
represent us. * * * We have no desire to be released from the 
restraint of good government and reasonable laws; while to obey 



LOOKING DOWN MIDDLE STREET 






COASTAL MAINE 


133 


such as are oppressive or to resist them, is a most unhappy and 
trying alternative. If we yield we own the power that oppresses 
us and must forever submit to its despotic sway; we detach our¬ 
selves from the great body of our fellow countrymen, and must 
endure their just and severe reproaches; nay, we must endure all 
the evils which a servile submission will bring upon us and our 
posterity in succeeding generations. If we resist^ we help to sever 
a mighty empire; we arouse against ourselves a most powerful 
nation; and in the midst of our greatest exertions, we put to hazard 
our own security in all that is dear. 

“But we have weighed the subject fully and fairly; and we 
feel constrained by the sacred obligations of patriotism and the 
tender ties of filial affection to join our brethren of the several 
towns on the continent in opposing the operation of despotic meas¬ 
ures. The dictates of nature, of reason, and of conscience ad¬ 
monish and urge us to the support of our freedom; for upon this 
all of our political happiness must depend. Our course is just, 
and we trust in God if we do our duty. He will enable us to 
transmit to our children that Sacred Freedom which we have in¬ 
herited from our fathers,—the purchase and earnest of their purest 
blood.” 

At that very time, unseen but near at hand, was a calamity well 
designed to put the patriotism and spirit of the people to the test. 
There lived at Falmouth a certain Captain Coulson, a prosperous 
citizen and an ardent Tory. An English ship brought rigging 
and supplies for a vessel which he had recently built, whereupon 
some of the townspeople objected to the procedure and insisted 
that the cargo should be sent back to the old country. Amidst the 
excitement and feeling that was aroused Captain Coulson enlisted 
the support of the British Captain Mowatt who hastened from 
Boston in the sloop-of-war Canseau. Coulson’s new vessel then 
was fitted with her rigging and Mowatt departed to the eastward. 
In a few days he returned, with the inclination, as it was given 
out, to make a considerable stay. Even in those days when rail¬ 
roads and the telegraph were unknown, news traveled quickly and 
in a short time Colonel Samuel Thompson, a rash down-east fellow 
from Brunswick, was on his way to Falmouth, accompanied by 
fifty picked men, each of whom wore a branch of evergreen in 
his hat like a plume. The ensign of the company was a spruce 


34- 


COASTAL MAINE 


pole tufted at the top with its own green. Colonel Thompson 
arrived quietly at the eastern slope of Munjoy Hill and concealed 
his men in the woods. The same day he seized Captain Mowatt, 
together with the sloop’s surgeon and Rev. Wiswell, the Episco¬ 
palian minister in Falmouth, as they were walking in the outskirts 
of the village. 

These rapid, unexpected events threw the inhabitants of the place 
into a state of consternation which was in nowise abated by the 
threat of the Canseau’s second officer to fire upon the town in two 
hours if the captain was not released. Thompson was urged to 



SURF AT WHITE HEAD, PORTLAND 

liberate the men. He flatly refused. Then the combined influ¬ 
ence of the villagers was brought to bear and he reluctantly released 
his prisoners with the condition that Mowatt should return at nine 
o’clock the next morning; and at the same time from the citizens 
who were waiting on him, he took Messrs. Preble and Freeman 
as hostages so that Mowatt’s agreement would be more likely to 
be carried out. The next forenoon the captain did not appear and 





COASTAL MAINE 


135 


the unfortunate sureties were kept all day without food and sub¬ 
jected to rather harsh treatment. 

With incredible celerity five hundred excited militiamen from 
the neighboring settlements gathered to protect Falmouth. They 
made up a somewhat defiant, unmanageable crew. Captain Coul- 
son’s house was entered and his good wine was passed around 
freely. A drunken soldier fired two bullets into the Canseau 
and one of the sloop’s boats was captured. Then followed the 
reaction that ever is born of undue excitement, and reason began 
to prevail. Colonel Thompson and his followers started for home 
while the Falmouth folks said “Good riddance.” Mowatt also set 
sail, breathing threatenings as he went and resolved to come again. 

Five months later the Canseau in command of Mowatt again 
sailed into the harbor, followed by a warship, two armed schooners, 
and a bombsloop. Word was sent ashore that two hours would 
be allowed for the removal of the infirm and aged, after which 
the town would be reduced to ashes. The people were dismayed. 
A committee was sent to remonstrate with Captain Mowatt. He 
replied that he was ordered to burn, sink, and destroy with all 
possible expedition. At the last moment he consented to wait until 
next day provided the citizens would deliver to him their cannon 
and small arms and ammunition. Finally some small arms were 
sent aboard the hostile ships. During the night as fast as possible 
women, children, and movable property were conveyed to places 
of safety. The morning came and a terrific storm of cannon 
balls, bombshells, and grapeshot swept the hillside. Mowatt sent 
men ashore to fire buildings outside the range of his guns. Some 
of the residents remained amidst the holocaust to save whatever 
they could. Dame Alice Greely, the tavern keeper, stood by her 
hostelry with buckets of water, always ready to extinguish any 
incipient blaze and joked grimly as she soused the smoking fuses 
of bombshells. Of the five hundred buildings on the peninsula, 
all of the churches and public buildings and three-fourths of the 
shops and dwellings were destroyed, while those left standing were 
shattered by shot and shell. Mowatt’s revenge had cost Falmouth 

$230,000. 

The greater part of a century elapsed before Portland experi¬ 
enced another genuine war thrill. In our Civil War there was a 
dashing young naval officer of the Confederacy who was doing 


136 


COASTAL MAINE 


much harm to Northern commerce. He was becoming so well 
known that he deemed it prudent to destroy his ship after having 
transferred his crew and munitions to a captured fishing vessel. 
He planned to enter Portland harbor to destroy two gunboats build¬ 
ing there, and to seize a steamship in which he could continue his 
work of destruction at sea. Therefore he disguised his men as 
fishermen, passed the forts without trouble, and anchored at eve¬ 
ning a little distance from the wharves. 



GRAND TRUNK STATION 

After looking about the harbor the young officer resolved to take 
the revenue cutter Caleb Cushing which rode at anchor nearby, 
instead of one of the passenger steamers, as had been his purpose. 
The capture was easily effected at night, and the cutter was silently 
guided out of the harbor. In the morning there was no little con¬ 
jecture as to why the Cushing had gone to sea. In a short time 
the facts of the matter were learned. Then great excitement pre¬ 
vailed. Business nearly came to a standstill. The collector of 
customs and the mayor of the city immediately organized a pursuit. 
People flocked to Munjoy Hill and other vantage points where they 











COASTAL MAINE 


137 


could witness the preparations. The Boston steamship, the Forest 
City, was dispatched as soon as possible. Likewise, soon afterwards, 
the New York boat, the Chesapeake, was pressed into service, and 
having been manned with soldiers and volunteers, was sent down 
the harbor. The Forest City arrived first within range of the 
Cushing, which fired several guns at her without effect. Mean¬ 
time the Chesapeake came up, and after consultation it was decided 
to board the cutter, or run her down. On the part of the volun¬ 
teers there was no shrinking from the dangerous task, but after one 
or two shots in exchange with the New York boat, for some mys¬ 
terious reason the fire of the Cushing ceased. The Confederate 
officer had been firing at long range, and, moreover, his captured 
prize was new to his men and the aim was poor. Unfortunately 
for him, he could not find a supply of projectiles aboard, and his 
ship was almost becalmed. The intent of the approaching boats 
must have been apparent to him. Suddenly smoke issued from the 
cutter’s hull, and men hastily began to tumble into the boats along¬ 
side. “Fire! fire!” shouted somebody on the attacking steamship, 
“they are going to board us!” The men in the boats lifted their 
handcuffed hands. “Don’t fire!” they entreated. They were the 
crew that had been captured with the Cushing. The Southerners 
were rowing away as fast as they could from the other side, but 
were easily overtaken. No effort was made to save the burning 
cutter which after a while went to pieces in a terrific explosion. 
The Portlanders had done quick and effective work, and when the 
hastily organized fleet returned, the wharves were filled with people 
who fired guns and rang bells in its honor. 

For fully a century after the Revolution the fortunes of Port¬ 
land were the fortunes of the sea. Her prosperity rose and ebbed 
with the prosperity of American shipping. Her ships sought the 
trade of the Indies, Europe, Africa, and the whole world. When 
the steamship scarcely had become a factor to reckon with, a steam¬ 
boat service was inaugurated between Portland and Boston and has 
continued to the present time. The ocean commerce of Portland 
is greater now than at any time in the past, and conscious of its 
advantages the town is looking to bigger things. In line with the 
general policy, the State recently has completed a pier on the Port¬ 
land waterfront that will accommodate the largest of ocean-going 
vessels, and other improvements are to be accomplished as needed. 


138 


COASTAL MAINE 


The business man of Portland, like Paul of old, is a citizen of 
no mean city. 

Eighty years ago Portland’s inland trade depended upon trucking 
by teams and a single canal to Sebago Lake, extended by natural 
waterways to Bridgton and Harrison. When railroad development 



ONE OF THE GRAND TRUNK ELEVATORS AND WHARF 


to the south and west began to divert business from the city, promi¬ 
nent citizens set themselves to work to meet the changing con¬ 
ditions. In 1842 a railroad was built to Portsmouth and five 
years later the Kennebec Central was in operation. 

About this time John A Poor, a Bangor lawyer, moved to Port¬ 
land. His coming may have received scant attention, but he was 
the man destined to influence the transportation system of the 
State more powerfully than any other man of his time. He loved 
Maine. He had pondered over its latent strength and resources. 
He saw the possibility of bringing through Portland the trade 
from Canada to Europe and projected the idea of a great inter¬ 
national railway. At that period Portland was a conservative 
town. Poor was a daring leader. People were astonished at his 
plans. He worked early and late to promote the enterprise. The 
difficulties and discouragements in his way were not a few. No 
one could say positively that the railroad, if constructed, would 




COASTAL MAINE 


139 


not prove a losing venture. Money was not as abundant then as 
it is now. Montreal, the leading city of Canada, was three hun¬ 
dred miles away and much of the intervening country was moun¬ 
tainous, or sparsely populated, or poor. The report was circulated 
by credulous people that the intense winters of northern New 
Hampshire and Vermont and the eastern townships of Quebec were 
barely endurable. To disprove this Mr. Poor rode in the dead of 
winter in an open sleigh from Portland to Montreal. Incidentally 
he turned the leaders in the latter city from giving their railway 
• allegiance to Boston. With splendid energy and indomitable cour¬ 
age he aroused the business men of Portland. That which had 
seemed but a dream, or a foolhardy scheme at best, took form and 
life. The city pledged its credit; people of means invested their 
money and the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway became an 
accomplished work. Its founder lived to see it merged into a 
great trunk system extending through eastern Canada, and to him 
was given the honor of naming it the Grand Trunk. Years have 
elapsed since the successful promoter was laid to rest, but the work 
which he established has grown year by year and has become the 
greatest single asset in the city’s commercial standing. 

Portland people today should have the same strong faith in their 
city that dominated the mind of John A. Poor. Its setting is 
most favorable. It is one hundred and sixteen miles nearer Europe 
than any other important United States seaport. It is the natural 
distributing center of half of New England. Its business is grow¬ 
ing, and its advantages are as patent, its chances for development 
as unhampered as when Levett settled on House Island, or Cleeve 
erected his log cabin on the slope of Munjoy Hill. The city’s 
past is secure, but its most remarkable development and glory in 
achievement is yet to come. 

Other railroads from Portland were planned, financed, and 
completed. As a rule these enterprises were unprofitable and 
people who invested money in them were losers. But whatever the 
individual losses were, these routes of travel have made the city 
an important railroad center as well as an important seaport, and 
have played an indispensable part in building up the large trade 
which centers here. 

For the person who loves to saunter about looking up old locali¬ 
ties and recalling old customs, Portland has an inexhaustible charm. 


140 


COASl'AL MAINE 


The oldest part of the town, about the Grand Trunk station, is 
replete with interest if we think back to the past. Now this section 
is chiefly given to business, or is possessed by folks who often speak 
in strange tongues. What changes have taken place! Imagine 
these same streets of the old port, lined with small dwellings and 
stores; laborers and perhaps slaves are hauling merchandise from 
the wharves; gentlemen with cocked hats, bush wigs, knee breeches, 
and red coats are afoot; and the occasional dandy with embroidered 
silk vest and long pocket flaps, with ruffles on his breast and other 
ruffles encircling his wrists and hands. When those conditions 
held, Portland was considered aristocratic and “dressy,” and among 
the well-to-do there was the old projudice against those who gained 
their daily bread by mechanical pursuits and common labor. Let 
us hope this prejudice has now entirely died away; certainly the 
culture and standards of refinement which the people of the city 
then established have come down through the years. 

Then as now winter was the social season and we have little 
reason to think that life was less enjoyable then than it is now. 
From the old annals we learn that in 1765 a party of the elite of 
the town were indicted for dancing at Freeman’s tavern. We 
can suppose however that their defense in court was happy, for 
the judge with a secret feeling of leniency, no doubt, let off the 
offenders on a technicality. At that time and for years after¬ 
wards Alice Greely’s tavern was the popular fashionable resort for 
old and young. The first theatrical performance in Portland was 
presented in 1794 in the Assembly Room on India Street. Two 
years later a company gave performances at the same place and 
continued more than a year. The editor of the Eastern Herald 
and Gazette published notices and reports of the plays because some 
of his subscribers were interested, hut as he said he was inclined 
“to practice the. strictest morality,” he himself did not attend. In 
those days it cannot be said that the theater, as a whole, was sanc¬ 
tioned by popular approval, and from 1805 adverse sentiment and 
business depression suppressed the stage in Portland until Maine 
was admitted as a State fifteen years later. 

Portland seems to have been troubled so little with unreasonable 
orthodoxy that its early history reads most pleasantly, as compared 
with Boston in this respect. The community was happy in its 
spiritual guidance. Rev. Thomas Smith, new from Harvard, came 


COASTAL MAINE 


141 


in 1725 when the town was too poor to provide a church and in 
this parish, the only one he ever held, he worked zealously sixty- 
eight years. As soon as the means of the people permitted, a 
substantial church edifice was erected and designated the First 
Parish; later on, the pastor, as was befitting, lived in the best house 
in town,—a house that could boast a papered room! He also had 
a slave named Romeo. Parson Smith possessed a strong, original 
personality, and being looked to as the leading man of the locality 
in education and influence, he filled an important role in formu¬ 
lating the character of the growing community. The town was 
not as cosmopolitan then as it is today, but the old minister lived 
in the midst of stirring events and his engagements were so arduous 
that he never was in danger of ennui. Along with his spiritual 
work he practiced the art of medicine and he was often called 
upon to minister to the needs of the body as well as those of the 
soul. Nor was he the man to shrink from hardship or from 
danger. He accompanied the soldiers when Major Church fought 
the Indians in Deering’s Woods, and in his report the rugged old 
fighter wrote: “Regarding the minister, I am well satisfied with 
him, he being present with us in the fight.” 

Despite the respect and love of his people, this outspoken clergy¬ 
man was the recipient of several severe jounces during his career. 
Once a part of his following seceded and organized the Second 
Parish; again in 1787 when the Episcopalians reared a church, he 
exclaimed, “Poor Portland is plunging into ruinous confusion.” 
But the Quakers who came three or four years, later, seem to have 
given him the greatest concern. He writes: “The Church kept 
a day of fasting and prayer. Mr. Jeffrey and myself prayed and 
Mr. Thompson preached. Mr. Allen and Mr. Lord prayed and 
Mr. Willard preached in the afternoon.” Towards the close of 
Parson Smith’s long and useful life we think his hard and fast 
ideas softened towards sinners outside the Congregational fold and 
his independent good sense triumphed over mere dogmatic concep¬ 
tions. He lived to see well on its way the religious evolution that 
swept down through the last century. His First Tarish Church is 
still active under the control of the Unitarians. 

Throughout Parson Smith’s pastorate a progressive spirit was 
evincing itself in various ways. The public school system was 
■established. Robert Bagley became one of Falmouth’s first school- 


142 


COASTAL MAINE 


masters. The honor may have been considerable, but few of us 
would care to assume the task he engaged to do. His contract called 
for six months’ teaching at Casco Neck, three months’ at Back Cove, 
and three months’ at Purpooduck, as the Cape Elizabeth section was 
commonly called, and this when the Saturday holiday was not in 
vogue. Just when his vacation came in is not evident, and as 
teachers’ pensions were unthought of then, we do not know how 
he got along after he retired from his tiresome service. 

If we pity the master, the lot of the pupil was not much better. 
The Cape school, which perhaps may be taken as a fair example, 
was domiciled in the garrison house. The seats were short pieces 
of logs on end, and the desks were made by driving legs into 
sections of split logs whose cleft surfaces were turned uppermost. 
The textbooks came from England and were so few that six or 
more scholars had to use the same book. The pupils were noisy, 
often unruly, and the discipline was harsh. No doubt the young¬ 
sters were glad when their brief school year was finished. And 
yet, crude as those schools were and mean as their advantages were, 
they imparted an education to some men, at least, of whom we 
are proud. 

The Falmouth Gazette was founded in 1785. Nathaniel Deer- 
ing, a progressive merchant, in 1795 built the first brick store in 
Falmouth, which seemed as great an achievement as the Fidelity 
Building seems to us of a later time. Old-style clothing went out 
of fashion so that a gentleman could wear pantaloons on the street 
without exciting comment and scandal. In 1794 Fort Sumner 
was constructed and Forts Preble and Scammel followed closely in 
the next century. 

It should be mentioned now that much in the city that was 
interesting and old was swept away in a catastrophe of compara¬ 
tively recent date. On the fourth of July nearly sixty years ago 
a small boy, a firecracker, and a heap of carpenters’ shavings (so 
it was affirmed, wrongfully perhaps) were the essential factors in 
starting a terrific conflagration that swept eastward swift and fierce 
beyond all human control. Roaring, devouring billows of flame 
left crashing buildings and destruction in their path while a great 
dense pall of smoke settled over the town. When at length the fire 
was stayed, $10,000,000 of property had been destroyed from the 
heart of the city and many an old landmark had passed away. 


COASTAL MAINE 


143 



Nevertheless, outside the fire-swept area a considerable part of 
the old town remains. On upper Middle and Federal Streets, a 
busy part of Portland, the observer cannot fail to note the old 
brick buildings with their lengthwise sides parallel with the street 
according to the custom a hundred years ago, or more. Some 
excellent examples of old-time dwellings and mansions are found 
on High Street and in that vicinity. Among the more pretentious 
edifices of colonial and post-Revolutionary days, we think none is 
more satisfactory than the' old Deering mansion just back of 
Deering Oaks and close to the very place where Church encoun¬ 
tered the redskins. 

As we look back to the men of former years the thought comes 
that Portland furnished our country one of its greatest naval heroes. 
Commodore Edward Preble was the man whom Jefferson picked 
to curb the Barbary pi¬ 
rates. He could not have 
selected a better com¬ 
mander. Preble had been 
a mariner from youth 
and had made a repu¬ 
tation in the Revolution. 

In 1803 aboard the frig¬ 
ate Constitution at the 
head of a little squadron 
he sailed forth to wage a 
combat with the strongly 
entrenched and defiant 
lot of rogues who had 
harassed the great com¬ 
mercial nations of Europe 
until the several countries 
suffered the humiliation 
of paying tribute in re¬ 
turn for safety on the 
Mediterranean. It seemed 
like a desperate venture. Preble himself had little confidence in 
the young officers associated with him; and possibly they came into 
his presence with some misgivings, for their leader was as choleric 
and hasty as he was brave. He reached the African coast and 


COMMODORE EDWARD PREBLE 




144 


C O A S T A I. MAINE 


having brought the Sultan of Morocco to terms, he bombarded 
Tripoli with such fury and tenacity that the frightened Bashaw 
was glad to make peace on almost any basis. The youthful officers 

proved themselves he¬ 
roes to a man. Before 
this war was concluded 
Commodore Preble re¬ 
turned to Portland on 
account of ill health, 
but not until it was 
known that the Barbary 
powers would respect 
the rights of the Unit¬ 
ed States and of all 
other nations. Congress 
thanked him and pre¬ 
sented him with a medal 
as an especial appreci- 
tion of his success; and Pope Pius VII remarked: “He has done 
more for Christianity in a short space of time than the most 
powerful nations have done for ages.’’ 

From the heart of the business section of Portland it is but a few 
minutes’ ride to Longfellow’s birthplace near the harbor. One is 
a dullard indeed who can view this “great square house” for the 
hrst time without emotion, as he thinks of the little child born 
there who became Maine’s most illustrious son and America’s most 
beloved man of letters. Did we believe in the lucky star, we 
might think Longfellow was born to be happy, to be the delightful 
singer of ballads and the narrator of stories in polished verses. 
The poet was a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla, 
his father was a prosperous lawyer and congressman, his mother 
a woman of imaginative mind with a fondness for music and 
poetry. His opportunities for acquiring an education were excel¬ 
lent, and poverty did not enter to make his youth a bitter struggle, 
nor to deter his mature years from the fields of congenial labor. 
His calling was of a character to make him no enemies, but rather 
to win for him the golden opinion of all. 

From the birthplace wc turn to the boyhood home looking out 
over Monument Square. This old mansion house was built chiefly 






COASTAL MAINE 


145 


by Peleg Wadsworth, the poet's grandfather, and was the first 
brick edifice to be put up in Portland. Since construction of this 
character was but imperfectly understood, the house was two years 
in building. The first 
story was put up and 
the mortar was given a 
year in which to hard¬ 
en; then the second 
story was added. At a 
later date the poet's 
father built the third 
story, thus finishing the 
structure as we see it 
today. So far as pos¬ 
sible all the old fur¬ 
nishings are left just as 
they used to be, and 
even if we did not think of it as the Longfellow home, yet this 
old mansion would be one of the most interesting places in the city 

for a person wishing to get an 
idea of life as it was a hundred 
years ago. To-day the brick walls 
are slightly weather-scarred, but 
as firm as when they echoed Henry 
Longfellow's boyish laughter. 
The property is now held by the 
Maine Historical Society whose 
library and museum are connected 
with it. 

This old home and the poet's 
life are inseparable. Here was 
the center from which his boy¬ 
hood rambles radiated. Here he 
essayed his first poem. From this 
door he went forth to college; 
and hither he returned at inter¬ 
vals throughout his life, to give 
form, it might be, to some poetic gem that is now familiar wher¬ 
ever English is spoken. When a child he looked from these 



HENRY W. LONGFELLOW 









DEERING OAKS 


















COASTAL MAINE 


147 


windows on the one side and pondered over the witchery of Deer- 
ing’s Oaks, while from the other side he gazed past the waterfront 
and over the islands of Casco Bay and beheld the Hesperides of his 
boyish dreams. 

Often I think of the beautiful town 
That is seated by the sea; 

Often in thought go up and down 

The pleasant streets of that dear old town, 

And my youth comes back to me. 

And a verse of a Lapland song 
Is haunting my memory still; 

“A boy’s will is the wind’s will. 

And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” 

I can see the shadowy lines of its trees. 

And catch, in sudden gleams. 

The sheen of the far-surrounding seas. 

And islands that were the Hesperides 
Of all my boyish dreams. 

And the burden of that old song. 

It murmurs and whispers still: 

“A boy’s will is the wind’s will 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” 

I remember the black wharves and the slips. 

And the sea-tides tossing free; 

And Spanish sailors with bearded lips. 

And the beauty and mystery of the ships. 

And the magic of the sea. 

And the voice of that wayward song 
Is singing and saying still: 

“A boy’s will is the wind’s will 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” 

ij; ^ ^ ^ 

I can see the breezy domes of the groves. 

The shadows of Deering’s Woods; 

And the friendships old and the early loves 
Come back with a Sabbath sound, as of doves 
In quiet neighborhoods. 

And the verse of that sweet old song. 

It flutters and murmurs still: 

“A boy’s will is the wind’s will 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” 


148 


COASTAL MAINE 


Strange to me now are the forms I meet 
When I visit the dear old town: 

But the native air is pure and sweet, 

And the trees that o’ershadow each well-known street 
As they balance up and down, 

Are singing the beautiful song. 

Are sighing and whispering still: 

“A boy’s will is the wind’s will 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” 

And Deerlng’s Woods are fresh and fair. 

And with joy that is almost pain 
My heart goes back to wander there. 

And among the dreams of the days that were, 

I find my lost youth again. 

And the strange and beautiful song. 

The groves are repeating it still: 

“A boy’s will is the wind’s will 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.” 

Within a stone’s throw of Longfellow’s birthplace is the long, 
rakish structure in which Thomas B. Reed first saw the light. 

There is little about the place 
that would seem to associate 
itself with the life of a famous 
statesman, and we may feel 
certain that it never was a 

home of affluence. Thomas 
was descended from the line 
of George Cleeve and An¬ 
thony Brackett, but although 

his ancestors were known to 
local history, his father was a 
hard working man and Thomas 
had to make his own name in 
the world. His natural gifts 
were inimitable and far be¬ 

yond the average, but indolence 
seems to have been something 
of a hindrance in his earlier 

years and even when a student at Bowdoin old romances ab¬ 
sorbed his time when text-books were demanding his attention. 



COASTAL MAINE 


149 


He realized this shortcoming after two years of indifferent study 
in college and at graduation only four of his classmates were 
ranked above him in scholarship. While a student he gained a 
part of his maintenance by teaching various schools near Portland, 
and today a few of his former pupils survive him. He insisted 
on such strict discipline that he did not always come into the favor 



reed’s birthplace 


of his scholars, nor was he at all times tactful enough to carry on 
the work smoothly. In the differences that arose he was not 
always the unquestioned conqueror, but all the while he was devel¬ 
oping that strong, unbending will that so clearly characterized his 
later political life. His rise as a lawyer and a politician was rapid. 
His career was brilliant, his influence nation-wide. Without ques¬ 
tion he became the greatest man in Congress. As Speaker of the 
House of Representatives he ruled that body with a firmness and 
control which it never had known and his exhibitions of will power 
will be remembered long at the national capital. 







150 


COASTAL MAINE 


Reed thought he was doing the Lord’s work (thus he would 
have it) when he was confounding the Democrats. His shafts of 
sarcasm and wit, sometimes shot with gentle humor, sometimes 
with a sting that disconcerted his opponents, are little classics of 
their kind. 

“I would rather be right than President,” said an opposing con¬ 
gressman in debate. “Don’t worry,” replied Reed, “you will 
never be either.” 

Again he said of two of his colleagues: “They never open their 
mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge.” 

One may ask if his sallies of sarcastic wit did not awaken a 
resentment in the minds of some of his fellow statesmen and 
politicians that silently worked against his greatest ambition. 
When he strove with McKinley for the Presidential nomi¬ 
nation, his showing was meager in comparison. Yet McKinley, 
even if more tactful and lovable, was not the stronger man. All 
in all Reed’s brilliancy and work have been excelled by only one 
or two of the public men of our State, if by any, and when we 
think of Maine’s record, this is high praise indeed. No person 
who knows the history of his life can look up to the admirable 
statue of Mr. Reed so fittingly placed on the Western Promenade 
without thinking “He was a great leader, a patriot, and an honest 
man.” 

Facing Spring Street is a fine old colonial mansion, the Wingate 
house, that vies with the Deering mansion and the Longfellow 
house in popular interest. In those former years of unstinted 
hospitality in the reign of Madam Wingate, whatever was fore¬ 
most and best in Portland society centered here. Those were the 
days of the stately minuet, and the fine old columns of the mansion 
looked down on many a quaint festive occasion,—on the pleasure, 
the triumph, the bitterness that ever springs from polite social life. 

Long afterwards the house was possessed by Mr. and Mrs, 
L. D. M. Sweat, who of their ample means filled their home 
with art treasures of their own country and of foreign lands. A 
French clock that once belonged to Marie Antoinette and had 
adorned the walls of the Tuileries hung in the drawing room; 
rare engravings and paintings found their way hither, and in a 
word, the collection was of such a character that if destroyed it 
never could be replaced. 


COASTAL MAINE 


151 



After the death of her husband Mrs. Sweat made provision that 
a public art museum in his memory should be established. A 
domicile for worthy works of art was erected and connected with 
the old mansion. Mrs. Sweat donated the rich gatherings of years 
of travel as the nucleus. Additions of great value have since been 


SWEAT MUSEUM AND WINGATE MANSION 

made, but the movement as yet is only in its beginning. The fact 
that here is a repository for works of fine art will bring together 
many pieces that are privately owned, but on account of popular 
interest should be accessible to the public as a whole. Many paint¬ 
ings are on exhibition here from time to time and are studied by 
art-lovers of the city. An increasing interest and finer discrim¬ 
ination naturally is manifested from year to year. The part that 
local environment plays is suggested by the large number of sketches 
of the sea that are hung here. What could be more appropriate 
in Portland? In a museum of this kind there is the constant 
inspiration that fosters original idealistic conceptions, a formative 
tendency that we should highly prize. It is certain that people 
as virile as our own, and environed as we are, will evolve new 










152 


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visions and new creations that will equal fully—why not excel? 
the older works that are held to be beyond the reach of artists and: 
sculptors of the present day. 

Among the works of statuary in the Sweat Museum is the Pearl 
Diver, one of the best products that ever has emanated from the art 
of an American sculptor. The figure represents a beautiful youth, 
the pearl diver, who overtaken by fatal mishap, lies recumbent at 
the bottom of the sea. It gives us pride to recall that the author 



Courtesy of the Sweat Museum 
THE LOST PEARL DIVER-AKERS 


of these beautifully chiseled lines was Paul Akers, a native of 
Maine. Born in Saccarappa (Westbrook), he became a sign 
painter in Portland and an artist dreamer as well. He had no 
particular training, but was gifted with an inborn faculty for 
sculpture. Encouraged by John Neal who had taken a fancy 
to some of his work and had become his patron, he opened a 
studio in Portland. He married a strong-minded, intellectual 
woman, Elizabeth Allen Akers, a well known writer of her 
day and now remembered as the author of “Rock Me to Sleep, 
Mother.” Urged by his new-found patron and his wife, Akers 
went to Rome and fired with the spirit of that renowned center 
of art, he worked with^ a new and triumphant zeal. Hawthorne 
refers to Akers’ Pearl Diver and his Marble Faun in the novel 
whose title was suggested by the latter statue. Sometimes in his 












COASTAL MAINE 


153 


new surroundings the sculptor used to pine for the invigorating 
winds of his native State and with reason enough, it must be 
admitted, he thought the Saco purer than the Tiber. He was a 
remarkable genius who died all too young, but not until he had 
acquired lasting fame. 

Franklin Simmons was another Maine-born sculptor who became 
world-famous. Webster was the town of his birth. He inclined 
naturally to art and like Akers, opened a studio in Portland. 
Afterwards he, too, 
went to Rome, and 
Rome was his home 
through his mature 
years although he re¬ 
mained a thorough 
American to the last. 

He was infused with 
the spirit of his work 
somewhat after that in¬ 
tense Athenian enthu¬ 
siasm which, according 
to old report, peopled 
Athens with more gods 
than men. Among his 
ideal statues are Abdiel, 

Viewing the Promised 
Land, and Grief and 
History. His work is 
characterized by natu¬ 
ralness, simplicity often, 
and beauty. The facial 
expression which seems 
to be reflecting the in¬ 
ner thoughts, he catches remarkably well; and to the untutored 
observer the anatomy and detail of drapery are so skillful as 
to seem absolutely perfect. The excellence of his statue of 
General Logan, now at Washington, led the late King Hum¬ 
bert to confer upon Mr. Simmons the honor of knighthood and 
decorations of the Italian Court. We are continually reminded 
of the sculptor by the Longfellow Statue and the Soldiers’ 




154 


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Monument in Portland, both the creations of this gifted artist’s- 
brain and hand. He showed his love to his native State by the 
bequest of some of his best works, which have now found a per¬ 
manent home in the Sweat Art Museum. “When Portland’s 
streets are lined with statues,” said Simmons, “with beautiful foun¬ 
tains playing in her parks and great masterpieces adorning her 

museum, she will be¬ 
come a dream of beau¬ 
ty to which will throng 
our people from every 
part of the Republic.”^ 
Portland has been 
well represented by 
literary people. There 
was old Deacon Wil¬ 
lis, pious and militant, 
who founded the East¬ 
ern Argus, and after 
imprisonment on ac¬ 
count of too outspoken 
editorials, went to Bos¬ 
ton to establish the 
Youth’s Companion 
and to remain its edi¬ 
tor thirty years. More 
widely known were 
his son, N. P. Willis, 
and his daughter, Sara 
Payson Willis, both 
born in Portland and 
both drawn into liter¬ 
ary pursuits. The son 
started publications, 
wrote prose and verse 
of no mean order, 
travelled extensively, 
and became the unquestioned leader of the pretentious set in New 
York City. The daughter under the name of Fanny Fern, made 
her nom de plume a household word when the New York Ledger 



L. D. M. Sweat Art Museum 
HERCULES AND ALCESTIS-SIMMONS 





C O A S T A I. MAINE 


155 



circulated through the land, and her books endeared her to thou¬ 
sands of American youths. 

Seba Smith, or Major Jack Downing, if you prefer the nom 
de plume, was the acknowledged leader of American humorists in 
his day. Doubtlessly his fame 
would have lived longer, had 
he not taken for his theme the 
political events of his own 
time which have become passe; 
naturally literature of a mirth¬ 
ful character based upon those 
same events has lost consider¬ 
able of its interest. Yet any 
one knowing little or nothing 
of American political history 
seventy years ago can scarcely 
refrain from laughing over 
Major Jack’s satires. Nor can 
he forget the self-related ex¬ 
perience of just plain Jack, the 
typical shrewd country bump¬ 
kin, newly arrived in Portland, 
when he made certain pur¬ 
chases (if purchases they proved 
to be) of crackers and cider 
from a grocer in Huckster’s 
Row. 

Like Paul Akers, Seba Smith 
had the good sense to marry 
a talented woman, Elizabeth 
Oak Smith, who essayed vari¬ 
ous poems, tragedies, and 

novels with success. Her Sinless Child and her Sagamore of Saco 
are especially beautiful. Now when women are agitating so many 
advance movements and filling such a large place in public life, 
it is well to remember that Mrs. Smith was the first American 
woman to take the platform in behalf of women’s rights. 

As a writer and especially as a man of affairs, a prominent place 
should be accorded John Neal. When not much more than a 


L. D. M. Sweat Art Museum 
THE PROMISED LAND-SIMMONS 



156 


COASTAL MAINE 


youth he taught penmanship in various Maine towns. Later he 
conducted business enterprises in Boston, New York, and Balti¬ 
more. After accumulating considerable property and taking a 
fling at law, he settled in Portland to follow the calling of litera¬ 
ture and journalism. Impatient and quick-tempered, yet a polished 
gentleman, he was a true advance agent who was always looking 
towards something that would help his fellow man or his town. 
He gave Herculean support to John A. Poor in the projection of 
the Grand Trunk railway system, and afterwards supplemented 
the efforts of the same valued leader in the filling in and con¬ 
struction of Commercial Street when that important thoroughfare 
was made in the edge of the sea. 

The list of Portland men who have become senators, congress¬ 
men, and governors is long. Of the number no one, excepting 
Reed, won more well earned admiration than William P. Fessen¬ 
den. As Secretary of the Treasury at a time when the public 
credit was low and the life of the nation at stake, Fessenden 
proved himself equal to the pressing emergency and tided over the 
troublesome financial affairs of Lincoln’s administration. After¬ 
wards in the Senate his ability and oratorical power immediately 
compelled the respect of that body. When excitement ran high 
and refracted men’s judgment from the straight course, he was 
one of the very few senators of his party who stood against the 
removal of Johnson from the presidency. There was no trace of 
demagogism or instability in his character and we take pride in 
his good service rendered to the Republic. 

No partial summary of Portland men who have become promi¬ 
nent in public life could well end before mentioning General Neal 
Dow. At first he worked, it seemed, in a local field; but his 
influence soon became national and international. In good time 
the reform which he sponsored and battled for became incorpo¬ 
rated in the common law of our country. It was Neal Dow who 
agitated and secured the passage of the statute prohibiting the 
manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors in Maine, and it was 
he who throughout his subsequent life, either as a private in the 
ranks, or as a public official, gave the “Maine Law” his effective, 
active support. To say nothing concerning its growth in other 
states and nations, the vitality of the cause in which he enlisted is 
attested by the fact that the prohibition law is still in the statute 


COASTAL MAINE 


157 



books of our commonwealth after more than a half-century of 
continuous opposition. Mr. Dow’s achievements were an inspira¬ 
tion to temperance workers throughout the world. He saw the 
blight of manhood and the suffering due to alcoholism, and his 
great work grew out of 
his love for his fellow 
men. Many who did 
not believe in the wis¬ 
dom of his endeavors 
were glad to see him 
attain a golden old age 
and to hear him styled 
“Maine’s Grand Old 
Man.” It seems likely 
that his fame will en¬ 
dure longer among pos¬ 
terity than the renown 
of either Blaine or 
Reed; for the latter 
statesmen concerned 
themselves chiefly with 
the exigencies of a day, 
or at most, a short term 
of years, and the im¬ 
mediate questions hav¬ 
ing passed from mind, 

their sponsors or oppo- general neal dow 

nents are easily forgot¬ 
ten. But Dow identified himself with a world problem which is 
interwoven with all government and striving for civilization. So 
gigantic and strong, so stubborn and world-wide is the rum demon 
that the courageous, kindly man who opposed him with telling 
effect will be recalled long after the advent of a future day when 
the greatest of archfiends will have gone down in hopeless rout. 

Like most other cities of like size Portland is well supplied with 
hospitals and public buildings and is blessed with many churches, 
each of which exerts its influence for the uplift of the city. One 
of these churches is of unusual interest and its name often is 
spoken throughout the world because it is the birthplace of an 






158 


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organization which spread over the earth and gathered millions of 
adherents to itself. In 1881 in the parsonage of the Williston 

Church, Rev. Francis 
E. Clark banded to¬ 
gether some of the 
young people of his 
parish and founded the 
Young People’s Society 
of Christian Endeavor. 
The first Christian En¬ 
deavor meeting was 
held in the Williston 
Chapel. The movement 
hit upon a principle vital 
and real. Other local 
societies sprang up all 
through the country. 
Nothing like it in the religious world had been experienced for 
years. It grew far past all expected bounds and took root and 
flourished in foreign lands. There is no exaggeration in the 
statement that this society was and is the most surprising, and 
very likely the most valuable religious advance movement of a 
century. 

The subtilty and beauty of art, however much we may lament 
the fact, are appreciated by only a few, but the attracting charm 
of music is well-nigh universal. In its opportunities for enjoying 
good music Portland is a fortunate municipality. Recently it was 
decided to build a city hall that would be adequate to the needs of 
the city for years to come. In connection with the undertaking 
a piece of unexpected good fortune befell the town. 

More than half a century ago a youthful musician, Herman 
Kotzschmar by name, made Portland his home. Trained in the 
arts of the muses from his earliest years and enthusiastic in his 
work, he became renowned as an organist and as an author and 
teacher of music. 

It happened that a Portland boy, Cyrus Herman Kotzschmar 
Curtis, became warmly attached to the composer who was his 
namesake, teacher, and friend. But Curtis was destined to engage 
in publishing ventures and gaining a little experience in his home 








COASTAL MAINE 


159 


town, he sought wider fields .and after a few years established the 
Ladies’ Home Journal in Philadelphia. His advance after a few 
years was rapid and the success of his different publications became 
one of the marvels of the publishing world. In his prosperity he 
never forgot Maine. In Rockport he made his summer home. And 
when he saw Portland’s new city hall, impressed by its scope and by 



CITY HALL 


its great auditorium, he presented a magnificent organ to be installed 
therein in memory of Herman Kotzschmar. The organ was worked 
out on a grand scale with no restrictions regarding its cost. From 
such a plan there could result none other than a truly impressive 
instrument. The size of the organ in itself challenges attention. 
It is sixty feet wide, forty feet high, and fifteen feet in depth. 
In fact it contains six organs in all. There are eighty-six speak¬ 
ing stops apart from a big array of couplers, and there are more 
than five thousand pipes. It is said that fully one hundred miles 
of insulated copper wire are used in the various parts of the instru¬ 
ment. The intricacy and responsiveness of the great organ can 
be appreciated fully only by the skilled musician, but its range and 
variety, its impressive volume and softly blending melodies in 
response to the call of a master, in a greater or less degree excites 
the admiration and wonder of us all. Portland has been proud of 
this splendid gift from the moment it was set in place. At the 





160 


COASTAL MAINE 



outset the city government in conjunction with a citizens’ com¬ 
mittee engaged a municipal organist and a series of free Sunday 
afternoon recitals was commenced and has been continued to the 
present time. Concerts are given daily during the summer and 
at intervals throughout the other seasons. Even after the novelty 
of it was worn off, large audiences filled the auditorium and Port¬ 
land’s most cultured homes and homes of very modest pretensions 
as well were represented. And thus it is to-day. The influence, 
especially on the youth of the city, is a strong developing factor 
which at present is not fully realized. T'he Kotzschmar memorial 
organ is a peer of the finest in the world and the several municipal 
organists whom the city has employed without Question rank among 
the greatest organists of our time. 


KOTZSCHMAR MEMORIAL ORGAN 

“Portland has the greatest of highways lying at her front door¬ 
step, the open way to the seven seas and all the lands of the earth,” 
exclaimed a government official recently. The speaker knew well 
that he was but repeating a well recognized truth. For many 
years past Portland people have known that their city is “America’s 
Sunrise Gateway,” the most advantageously located, as regards 












































COASTAL MAINE 


161 


European trade, of any United States seaport. They have fol¬ 
lowed its commercial activities with keen interest and intelligent 
appreciation. Not long ago the need of greater facilities to en¬ 
courage both trans-Atlantic and coastwise business was realized by 
some of the city’s far-sighted citizens, and the State was asked to 
build a pier so commodious and complete in all its appointments 
that it would meet every reasonable requirement. It is pleasing 
to say that all Maine gave the project hearty approval. The State 
pier accordingly was constructed in the most accessible part of the 
harbor. It measures a full thousand feet in length and covers 
more than four acres. A mile and a half of railroad track on 
the pier links the ocean and land systems of commerce together. 
Ample accommodations and sufficient depth of water are offered 
the largest steamships. On the inner end of the pier is a steel 
shed, ninety feet wide and containing two stories, the upper for 
passenger business, the lower for freight. On the outer end are 
two one-story sheds, each sixty feet in width. It is almost need¬ 
less to state that the pier equipment includes inclined dock elevators, 
cranes, electrical tractors, and other improvements of the latest 
design. The plan of the State pier is especially well adapted for 
the landing and care of emigrants and for this work is pronounced 
the best on the Atlantic seaboard. The future will show that 
when the State sanctioned this important step in the development 
of its leading port, she builded well. 

In early colonial Maine probably the most valuable influences 
that made for education and right living came from the church. 
Indeed we scarcely can realize now the place which the church 
filled then. Attendance was compulsory and travel on the Sab¬ 
bath elsewhere than to church was prohibited. Of necessity at 
first the church structures were rude, but as time went on and the 
means of the settlements increased, there developed the simple, 
well proportioned New England meeting house with tall, pointed 
steeple, the most characteristic style of ecclesiastical architecture 
to be seen in America. The early church edifices were without 
heat because according to the professed orthodoxy of the times it 
was wrong to associate worship with complacent physical comfort. 
Possibly some good brethren of the fold thought it prudent to take 
a few quaffs of brandy after the services and perhaps we ought 
not to blame them. Clergymen often pounded their pulpits to 
restore the warmth to their benumbed fingers. Gradually hot 


7 


162 


COASTAL MAINE 


bricks and stones were brought to keep the feet warm and after¬ 
wards little foot-stoves filled with hot coals were allowed. Heated 
churches were not general until Maine became a State in 1820. 

The high pulpit in the front of the church was reached by 
winding stairs. Behind and above the minister was an octagonal 
sounding board usually eight feet in diameter. The Congrega¬ 
tional clergy wore black gowns and flowing wigs. The sermons 
were very long and severe. Instead of such pews as we now are 
accustomed to see at church, a door led into a rectangular inclosure 
with seats at the sides and ends. The boys sat on the stairs lead¬ 
ing to the pulpit or gallery. The seats were assigned according 
to sex and rank, but those ^'thick of hearing” could sit forward 
near the minister. The deacons’ seat was in front of the pulpit 
and facing the congregation. The tything man was a personage 
of no mean importance and he kept a vigilant watch that the boys 
on the stairs might not whisper nor play, and that their elders 
might not nod during the dreary stretches of the sermon. 

Hymn books were very scarce and usually one of the deacons 
lined the hymns; or to explain more in detail, he read two lines 
which then were sung; two more lines were read and then sung, 
and by such successive stages the end was reached finally. In the 
church at York singing was permitted “on the lower floor” in 
1679, and generally as time went on, it seems that the congre¬ 
gation was encouraged to join in this part of the service. The 
chorister, sometimes with no little fuss, pitched the key note for 
the singers with a pitchpipe, or whistle. Most churches could sing 
six tunes and a few could get through with ten. After a while 
the bass viol was played to accompany the voices and sometimes, 
remarkable to relate, the fiddle was employed. Organs began to 
be introduced in 1819. At that time there were but few church 
bells in Maine. 

Most celebrated and of widest influence among the churches 
were those of York and Wells; and the best known and possibly 
the ablest of the early pastors was Rev. Samuel Moody who looked 
after the spiritual guidance of York for forty years. Grave and 
severe, a man of set ideas, “Father Moody” w'as a mighty power 
in the colony. He was loved some; he was respected much. He 
devoted his life to his people and would accept no stated salary. 
We think people two hundred years ago must have been somewhat 


COASTAL MAINE 


163 


like present-day people, for sometimes the faithful old minister 
and his family nearly ran aground on the shoals of financial desti¬ 
tution. To some folks his long discourses evoked dread. After 
the fall of Louisburg when Pepperrell gave a dinner in honor of 
Commodore Warren, the assembled guests felt some trepidation as 
“Father Moody” was asked to invoke the divine blessing at the 
beginning of the repast. They expected his invocation would be 
half an hour in length. Imagine the agreeable surprise and relief 
after the sturdy old man had enunciated these words: “Good Lord, 
we have so much to thank Thee for, that time would be too short, 
and we must leave it for eternity. Bless our food, add fellowship 
on this joyous occasion, for the sake of Christ, our Lord. Amen.” 

“Father” Moody was no respecter of persons and sometimes he 
was unsparing and scathing in his denunciations. A typical instance 
is cited in his rebuke to the wife of Colonel Ingrahame, a pros¬ 
perous and self-opinionated citizen of York. 

“Mrs. Ingrahame, the Colonel’s lady, was very fond of fine 
dress, and sometimes appeared at meeting in a style not exactly 
accordant with her Pastor’s ideas of Christian female propriety. 
One morning she came sweeping into church, in a new hooped 
dress, which was then very fashionable. ‘Here she comes,’ said 
Father Moody from his pulpit; ‘here she comes, top and topgallant, 
rigged most beautifully, and sailing most majestically; but she has 
a leak that will sink her to hell.’ ” 

After the old clergyman’s death the parish gave Mrs. Moody 
£40 to allow her to go into mourning. 

Evangelical work in those days, owing to physical obstacles, 
could not obtain the hold it secured in later years, but the great 
Whitefield preached in the coast towns from Kittery to Falmouth. 
He was kindly received by the clergy and his irresistible ability 
won numerous converts. 

Some of the smaller settlements like “poor Arundel” were too 
feeble to support a minister, as they were obligated to do by law, 
and often were presented to the General Court for their apparent 
neglect. Finally the Massachusetts government helped such needy 
towns with money, or allowed some worthy man of the community 
to “preach and prophecy until the coming of a better.” 

In those good old days perfect concord and harmony did not 
reign supreme in parish affairs. The division of Saco and the 
-establishment of Biddeford grew out of church differences. At 


164 


COASTAL MAINE 


Arundel there was a quarrel regarding the location of the meeting 
house and the bitterness engendered partly may be understood from 
the fact that some of the people of the dissatisfied faction induced 
two boys to fire the church edifice so that it burned to the ground. 

With the advent of the heated church and the organ there came 
a violent storm and stress period within the church, and while the 
resultants of conflicting opinions usually were productive of good, 
sometimes the results were ludicrous. Part of the clergy doubt¬ 
lessly shared the opinion of a Massachusetts minister who declared 
that toleration is the first of all abominations. Although orthodox 
folk were growing more tolerant, yet denominational feeling was 
strong. Perhaps it went to no greater extreme than in the instance 
of Rev. Joseph Smith, a Free Baptist, who went to Wells and in 
violent harangues gave out that he was going to overthrow the 
works of the devil. It was commonly interpreted that his efforts 
were to be directed against the substantial Congregational church 
building. Some of the citizens, nothing loath to witness the pro¬ 
ceeding, assembled to see what he would do. Smith prayed earnestly 
and then took hold of a sill of the meeting house and lifted with 
all his strength. The edifice stood fast. Do what he could. Smith 
was not a Samson, and he was compelled to desist amidst the derisive 
remarks of those who had gathered to witness his power. 

It was during this period that the Sunday School came into 
existence. In the Kennebunk Sabbath School among other work 
accomplished in a year, 31,725 verses from the Bible were recited, 
22,652 stanzas from Watts’ hymns were memorized, and 63,519 
catechism questions were answered. Evidently the scholars took 
hold of the work with an earnestness that would appall youngsters 
nowadays. Compared with more modern methods we may con¬ 
sider such work unreasonable, but in many instances the thorough 
mental discipline and the knowledge thus obtained played a strong 
part in the making of men and women of real character. 

After the establishment of the Republic our people were inter¬ 
ested intensely in politics and in the formative movements which 
were giving solidarity to the new nation. Patriotic festive gath¬ 
erings were common. The Fourth of July was celebrated by 
orations, by reading the Declaration of Independence, by guns, 
bells, and a display of striped bunting. Young ladies, dressed in 
uniforms of red, white and blue, graced the occasion. Feminine 


COASTAL MAINE 


165 


charms, be it said, were never overlooked and a toast “To the 
Blooming Daughters of America” was likely to be especially prom¬ 
inent on the program. At dinner between toasts, guns were bred 
and the Stars and Stripes were honored. Songs were sung and 
special hymns and odes were written for the occasion. After the 
danger and loss of British depredations in the War of 1812, the 
peace was celebrated in some manner in each of. the coast towns. 
In Saco a collection for the poor was taken, and to the same worthy 
end a pence ball was given to which most of Ihe leading citizens 
turned out in their best bib and tucker. In 1825 when Lafayette 
travelled through the towns of western Maine en route to Port¬ 
land, he was escorted with every possible honor from village to 
village and was greeted everywhere by the boys and girls and older 
citizens, all of whom respectfully formed in lines on each side of 
the street while the great French benefactor passed between them. 

In the early years of these settlements the hard sands of the 
beaches afforded the only highways. At each considerable river 
there was a ferry “to ferry passengers as occasion serveth,” and 
sometimes a tavern was kept in connection with it. On account of 
the Indians, passage along the beaches became very hazardous, and 
many a paleface fell at the hands of savages lurking in the forest 
background. Trails through the woods were safer and therefore be¬ 
came com.mon. There 
were no real roads in 
Maine until 1672, al¬ 
though a bridge spanned 
the Ogunquit as early 
as 1658. The post road 
from Saco to Kenne- 
bunk was laid out in 
1 730. Soon after high¬ 
ways became quite gen¬ 
eral. We find a decree 
of the General Court 
ordering Wells and Cape Porpoise “to make a straight and con¬ 
venient way for man and horse.” In 1750 a movement was 
started to raise £1200 by lottery for the purpose of constructing 
a road from Saco to the Presumpscot. The funds were raised 
within three years. Citizens who now sound the benefits and 




166 


COASTAL MAINE 


praises of the lines of good highway through our several counties 
should picture in their minds the first public roads passing over the 
same routes. People were busy with the roads problem nearly 
two hundred years ago. In Saco the bridge from the western 
bank to Factory Island was made about 1760, and seven years later 
the citizens constructed the larger bridge from the island to the 
Biddeford side. In 1787 a stage line was started between Ports¬ 
mouth and Portland. Road building went on actively until 1820. 

At first land travel was carried on for the most part on horse¬ 
back. There was a horse block in front of every meeting house 
to facilitate mounting. Husband and wife sometimes travelled 
long distances, the former seated in the saddle, the latter on the 
pillion behind. For support the wife twined her arm about the 
waist of her husband. Two-wheeled chaises came into use a little 
after the middle of the eighteenth century, but were scarcely taken 
out excepting on Sundays and gala days. Four-wheeled carriages 
did not come into use until about the year 1800. 

The rather lax moral conditions that held in early Maine were 
not due to lack of courts and laws. In 1640 Joseph Lander was 
fined two shillings at Saco for “swearing two oaths.” Fines for 
drunkenness and breaking the peace were very common. One 
record tells of a woman being presented to court for being a tale¬ 
bearer from house to house, another of a man presented for idle¬ 
ness, and another man was presented for being a common sleeper 
in meeting. At Black Point, Moses Collins and Sarah Mills were 
sentenced to receive forty stripes for being Quakers. One colonist 
was punished for going a mile Sunday to talk with a neighbor 
about a business matter. A certain witness in a law suit admitted 
that he had played cards and was fined five shillings on the spot. 
Joseph Winnoch paid forty shillings for calling his neighbor a 
moon-calf. George Cleeve was ordered to pay five shillings for 
uttering rash speeches. Under Massachusetts rule the stocks, cage, 
and ducking stool were ordered to be placed in every Maine town. 
Most of the settlements did not provide them and were fined; and 
even where they were set up, it speaks well for the common sense 
of the Maine colonists that they were little used. 

Early conditions of living were meager and primitive indeed, 
compared with the conveniences of the present day. At first on 
account of poverty, schools could not be maintained and many of 


COASTAL MAINE 


167 


the inhabitants could not read or cipher. On a paper circulated 
in Kittery in 1652 bearing thirty-four signatures, just half of the 
men could write their names. About 1700 many of the schools 
were housed in dwelling houses. Some of the poorer towns were 
presented to the Court “for not taking care ye children and youth 
of ye town be taught their catechisms and educated according to 
law.” The condition of the women seems not to have been better 
nor worse than that of the men. Usually there were no books 
in the home besides an occasional Bible. The beating of the 
loom, the dashing of the churn, the whirl of the spinning wheel, 
together with knitting, sewing, and cooking were the factors which 
formed education of women. 

The children were commonly given Bible names. The early 
families were poor usually, although occasionally there was an 
exception, as in the case of Christopher Collins of Black Point, 
who possessed stock consisting of twenty-three cows, thirteen calves 
and yearlings, eight oxen, eight two-year-olds, and “thirty swine, 
old and young.” In 1748 houses in Wells were valued at twenty 
dollars each in modern money. Glass windows had not come into 
use. In 1779 one man’s house was appraised thirty-three dollars 
while his pew at church was held to be double that amount. In 
early times trousers almost always were made of leather which 
later on was superseded by homespun. Folks who were well-to-do 
gradually acquired finery. Joshua Freeman when he went a-court- 
ing in 1750 wore a cocked hat, scarlet coat and small clothes, 
white vest, white stockings, shoes and buckles, and two watches, 
one on each side. Women’s attire was heavy and awkward and 
it must have been exceedingly burdensome in summer. If a 
woman was so fortunate as to have a dress better than the ordinary, 
she wore it only on special occasions and when she returned home 
she put it away with painstaking care. 

Before 1750 tea and coffee were but little known. Intoxicants 
formed half the backbone of commerce. Rum and toddy and flip 
were drank by nearly all of the men. Judges, officials, and clergy¬ 
men partook, as well as those under them. The most of the people 
possessed but little in worldly goods and lived in cornparative 
poverty, but their liquor they would have. 

Farming, lumbering, and fishing were the chief industries. In 
some towns there were shipyards. There also were several small 


168 


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“salt works” along the coast where salt was evaporated from the 
ocean water. In the plant at Wells about thirty bushels of salt 
per week was produced. 

Until nearly the beginning of the nineteenth century the flocks 
at pasture were menaced by wolves. Bears were common and 
injured the corn and caught an occasional sheep, but on the whole 
they were considered a minor pest. Wild pigeons were much used 
for food and were so plentiful that a hunter could secure three 
hundred in a day. Moose and deer steaks were common in the 
pioneer’s larder, and salmon, bass, shad, and alewives all enriched 
his bill of fare. 

In 1750, or a little later, there was a resident physician at York, 
at Biddeford, and at Falmouth. Money was scarce and trade was 
largely a system of barter. In 1665 the salary of Rev. Seth 
Fletcher at Saco was payable in fish; and his successor received 
payment in beef, pork, wheat, peas, corn, butter, boards, and red- 
oak staves. 

Among the pastimes of the boys and girls were games of bat 
and ball, firing at a mark, sliding, skating, and hunting. Card 
playing was popular with the early settlers. Before 1780 dancing 
was confined mainly to private homes. The first dancing school 
in Wells was in 1798 and in 1809 another was opened in Saco 
with “a master and a fiddler” from Portland. Balls came into 
fashion and despite the opposition they encountered, they weathered 
every storm and to-day form a part of our social life. 

Huskings came as regularly as the autumn season and were 
among the greatest rinktums of the year. For days before the 
sportive evening the farmer and his sons hallooed to the long¬ 
horned oxen and drew the loads of corn into the big barn floor. 
In the house the wife and her daughters scrubbed and polished and 
cooked pots of beans, plum puddings, apple dowdies, pumpkin pies, 
and the like, until a surprising amount of good hearty old New 
England fare was on hand. 

When the evening of the husking came, all the men and the 
younger women and the girls sat around the big compile and husked 
the golden ears, joking merrily the while or listening to the yarns 
of some veteran story teller. The older fellows, some with faces 
jolly and red, some with countenances dry and pinched, swapped 
reminiscences and smoked and bragged in a good hearty old-time 


COASTAL MAINE 


169 


way just as old fellows now are wont to do. There was no dearth 
of red ears in the pile and the girls, however coy, were clever in 
finding them and the customary forfeit had to be paid as a matter 
of course. Meantime the older women had gathered at the home 
of the hostess and had helped to get the tables ready so that when 
the last basket of corn was husked and carried to the grainery or 
shed-chamber, there was no delay in all hands sitting down to the 
supper served piping hot and delicious. Here again was more 
story-telling and a general good time. The supper was followed by 
games and sometimes there was a dance, primarily for the younger 
folks, we may suppose; but if tradition is true, some of the older 
guests were sure to warm up to the spirit of the occasion and join 
in with the younger set heart and soul. Often the major part of 
the night would be spent in these pleasant pastimes, since about the 
only convention as far as hours were concerned was that everybody 
should get home in season to commence the next day’s work. 

Not elsewhere in our State is there so great a wealth of legend 
and quaint old customs as come from these ancient plantations of 
southwestern Maine whose beginnings even are lost in obscurity. 
The early lore of this corner of our commonwealth hearkens back 
to an age when superstition and credulity were far more com¬ 
pelling than they are now. 

Through Wells and South Berwick runs the old witchtrot road 
bringing back to mind the painful story of Rev. George Burroughs. 
This worthy Congregational clergyman was as well known at 
Portland and Cape Elizabeth as at Wells, inasmuch as he had 
preached in all of those settlements. Through no fault of his 
own he became involved in the Salem witchcraft delusion. He 
was a man of rather small stature, but of great physical strength; 
and these facts seemed to lend color to some of the absurd charges 
brought against him. He built a Virginia fence at Dover of such 
immense logs that it was felt certain that some satanic power must 
have aided him in the task. One witness averred that Burroughs 
had thrust his linger into the muzzle of a sixteen-pound flintlock 
and held the weapon out at arm’s length; and others, so they said, 
had seen him raise a barrel of cider to the level of his face and 
drink from the bunghole. 

SheriflFs were sent to Wells to arrest him and take him to Salem. 
The return was made on horseback, with a custodian on either side 


170 


COASTAL MAINE 


of the prisoner. The officers feared the minister’s evil influence 
and were in a state of trepidation, but they hoped they could out¬ 
wit the devil by conducting the prisoner along unfrequented roads. 
Nevertheless during the journey a terrible shower arose and the 
party was stopped short in the way, blinded by the lightning and 
overwhelmed by the crashing thunder. Amid the roar of the 
storm the frightened constables thought their last hour had come. 
Suddenly the horses started again and in their rapid course it seemed 
they had left terra firma and were mounting through the air with 
the greatest of ease according to the approved locomotion of witch¬ 
craft. When the strange spell had passed away with the passing 
of the storm, the party touched ground again at Dover. 

At Salem the pastor was tried before Sewall and Hathorn. 
Among the more specific charges was one that he had afflicted, 
punched, tortured, and tormented Mary Walcott so that she be¬ 
came consumed, pinched, and wasted. Susannah Sheldon testified: 
“Burroughs took me up on a high mountain and showed me all 
the kingdoms of the earth, and offered to give them to me if I 
would write in his book, and to throw me down and break my 
neck if I would not.” Another woman testified that two former 
wives of Burroughs whom he had murdered appeared to her in 
winding sheets. The avenues of reason were closed. Out of an 
abundance of such evidence a strong case was presented to the 
court and the hapless clergyman was condemned to die on the 
gallows. Just before his execution on Witches’ Hill he uttered a 
prayer so remarkable and admirable that the venerable and bigoted 
old Cotton Mather exclaimed that nobody could make a prayer 
like it unless the devil helped him. 

Already some of the legends of the Isles of Shoals have been 
related. Partly for the old story itself and partly to show the 
belief of people in the supernatural and uncanny, let us follov/ 
the semi-myth of old Betsey Booker and Skipper Perkins. 

As the skipper was hoisting his sail at the wharf in Kittery one 
morning, old Betsey asked him to give her a fish in the evening 
when he had returned from fishing. The old skinflint aroused 
her ire by declaring that he would demand a sixpence in payment. 
As he sailed out of the harbor and to sea, her eyes followed him 
steadily. All day his boat was rocked and tossed and when he 
came home at night, he had no more fish than when he sailed 


COASTAL MAINE 


171 


away. 1 hat very night there came a storm so violent that the 
frightened Perkins barricaded his door. But Betsey, old hag that 
she was, came in the midst of the tumult, followed by a train of 
witches, and the skipper could nowise keep her out. So he leaped 
into bed and drew the coverings tightly about himself. The 
witches tripped up, unbundled him, and stripped him to the skin. 
In a twinkling old Betsey had him bridled and mounting on his 
back, she rode him to York through the thick of the shrieking 
gale. The other witches rode too, all clinging to Betsey’s back, 
and all prodding the unfortunate skipper to make him speed the 
more, and not unsuccessfully it would seem, for the return to 
Kittery was accomplished before cockcrow. Skipper Perkins was 
more dead than alive and he kept his bed three weeks, nursing his 
hurts and telling his neighbors of his thrilling escapade. 

In conclusion, when we consider the peculiar interest of this 
southwestern corner of Maine, it appears natural enough that 
people of imaginative and -appreciative temperaments should be 
attracted hereto. Some of our best known American artists sum¬ 
mer at Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, and Biddefcrd Pool. William 
Dean Howells had his summer home at Kittery Point. Thomas 
Nelson Page was a summer resident of York Harbor, and Finley 
Peter Dunne is a regular summer visitor. For years Mark Twain 
was a regular sojourner in this village. John Kendrick Bangs 
was a legal voter in Wells and John Fox very frequently was his 
guest. Nathan Haskell Dole lives at Ogunquit in the summer 
season. Margaret Wade Deland, Booth Tarkington, and George 
Barr McCutcheon all are thoroughly identified with Kennebunk¬ 
port where they have summer homes. 

Out past the West End beyond one of the ramifications of the 
inner harbor, in the section of the city known as Stroudwater, Port¬ 
land possesses one of the most interesting examples of what old 
New England was like that is to be found in Maine to-day. It is 
Stroudwater Village now, even as it was Stroudwater Village long 
ago. Edifices of the old substantial style are plentiful enough to 
cast an ancient environment over all. Old-fashioned wooden 
bridges with a dash of romance in them, we think, span the river, 
while the streets radiate from a common square in a most uncon¬ 
ventional order. The village is country-like in its aspect. It is 
more. It is a rural gem. The Stroudwater Pviver, which is only 


172 


COASTAL MAINE 


a small stream, is held back by a high dam with a pretty overflow 
at the very place, probably, where Colonel Westbrook established 

one of his paper mills 
almost two centuries 
ajro. On the bank close 
by there used to be an 
old garrison house, a 
grim reminder of In¬ 
dian times. It is evi¬ 
dent that most of the 
old mansions are owned 
by people who are well- 
to-do, but a few (more’s 
the pity) appear to be 
abandoned to sun and 
storm. One of the old square colonial structures was the home 
of Mrs. Stevens, the president of the Women’s Christian Temper¬ 
ance Union in America. The old Tate house, weathered and 
worn by the ravages of the years, and now divided into tenements, 
is probably the oldest structure in the hamlet. It was in Harrow 
House at Stroudwater that Westbrook lived when he was the king’s 
mast agent and enjoyed a prosperous estate before the time of his 
unfortunate land speculations and insolvency. 

Adjacent to Portland at the northw^est is the clean, prosperous 
city of Westbrook, often called the Paper City. The Presumpscot 
River supplies good water power here and silk is woven and high 


> 



THE DAM AT STROUDWATER 



A SEC'IION OF THE WARREN MILLS 








COASTAL MAINE 


173 


quality cotton goods are a staple product; but the town is best 
known as an important center of the paper manufacturing industry. 
As long ago as 1735 Samuel Waldo and Thomas W^estbrook (from 
whom the city takes its name) built a paper mill at the Lower 
Falls of the Presumpscot, the locality that has since been named 
Cumberland Mills. In all probability this was the first mill of 
its kind in Maine, although Colonel W^estbrook’s paper manu¬ 
facturing plant at Stroudwater must have been established soon 
afterwards. The enterprise lived for a time and then passed out 
of existence. Many years afterwards the paper industry was re¬ 
established at these same falls of the Presumpscot and now the 
Warren mills can put out two hundred and fifty tons of the 
finished product per day and without doubt constitute the largest 
plant in the world producing high quality book paper. Their 
standard papers are used by the best printers from coast to coast, 
and after being cut and bound into magazines and books are dis¬ 
tributed throughout the homes of our great nation. 

A little removed from Westbrook and the Presumpscot is Gor¬ 
ham. Westbrook and Gorham are quite unlike. The one centers 
in industry and makes no great pretension of beauty; the other 



GORHAM NORMAL SCHOOL 

takes pride in its beauty and cares little for industry. In the quiet 
atmosphere of Gorham, beneath the high-branching elms, one can 
loiter along the streets of one of the most conventional of old 
I^ew England villages. One of the State normal schools is located 



174 


COASTAL MAINE 


here,—an institution of which the Gorhamites are especially proud; 
and to the visitor also it seems that the three hundred and more 
students living on the hill add very materially to the life of the 
town. 

East of Portland past Riverton Park and the Presumpscot is a 
series of towns, Falmouth, Cumberland, Yarmouth, and Freeport, 
all tributary to the city. A person who craves scenes of intense 
activity and excitement might call these places dull; but one who 
loves the charming diversity of the country will be delighted with 



THE PRESUMPSCOT AT STROUDWATER 

what he sees here. Does he love the sea? If so, he can wander 
about the Foresides. He can enjoy real nature here, the gentle 
slopes, the broken fields, the fringes of forest, and the whole 
wealth of islands and blue waters of Casco Bay. Does he love 
pastoral scenes? If so, a ride or walk inland is replete with 
interest. Farm after farm stretches away, the expanse broken 
occasionally by a hamlet or village, or perchance, only by a white 
church spire half obscured by the trees. It is true indeed that 
agriculture is in a half neglected condition as if it were a side 



COASTAL MAINE 


175 


issue, or something neither appreciated nor understood. But the 
resources of the industry are intact and when through thorough 
farming they shall come to their own, these fields will bring a 
rich increase to their owners and to the region as a whole. 

Thus the traveller may ride over the Cumberland hills dotted 
with white houses and disclosing a wealth of landscape; or he 
may find some woodland road through a section scarcely inhab¬ 
ited save by wild creatures,—an ideal place for an October walk 
with roadside birds and 
squirrels for momentary 
companions. In Fal¬ 
mouth within five miles 
of the nearer streets of 
Portland a person need 
not be surprised when 
passing through the 
woods to come to a 
little clearing with no 
suggestion of a dwell¬ 
ing, except a little shan¬ 
ty, but filled with board piles,—the output of a nearby mill. In 
short, several things come to mind to suggest how little this coun¬ 
try is utilized within so short a distance of Maine’s metropolis. 
The industries of Old England were brought to this section nearly 
three centuries ago and even now the resources of the locality are 
merely marked. To say nothing of its possibilities, its probabilities 
are mostly unrealized and unappreciated. A similar situation exists 
throughout the greater part of our great nation. When a much 
fuller development comes, who can estimate or picture the mighty 
strength of America? 

At Yarmouth we approach a village of active industry and 
ancient settlement. Twice it was destroyed by the redmen; twice 
it was rebuilded by its hardy settlers. Here the Royal River after 
flowing through the village ends its easy course at the foot of a 
deep gulch and widens into an ocean estuary. There was once a 
busy harbor at this place and the steep hills echoed to the blows of 
maul and hammer in old shipbuilding days. Long before that 
time the locality was a favorite fishing place and rendezvous of 
the Indians. 



OLD MILL AT WEST FALMOUTH 




176 


COASTAL MAINE 


The people of Yarmouth were intensely patriotic in early Revo¬ 
lutionary days and secreted munitions of war and formed and 
drilled a company of soldiery. Early in the war the congregation 
in the meeting house one Sunday morning was startled by the 

reports of guns and the 
appearance of an un¬ 
known vessel in the har¬ 
bor. Services were sus¬ 
pended promptly and 
the captain and the 
lieutenant called the 
names of the men in the 
company preparatory to 
forming in line. It 
turned out that the ship 
was a privateer sent by 
General Washington in quest of spruce for the medicinal depart¬ 
ment of his army then organizing. A cargo of spruce was hustled 
aboard in record time. 

Yarmouth Academy, organized in 1814, was one of the pioneer 
schools of the State. Among other noted men who were educated 
at this institution were the famous Cuban liberators, Gomez and 
General Jose Maceo, the latter of whom, it will be remembered, 
lost his life in the Cu¬ 
ban war for independ¬ 
ence. 

At Freeport we find 
a conventional Maine 
village, in appearance 
neither new nor old, a 
manufacturing centre, 
and the nucleus of an 
extensive farm country. 

This is the home town the bowdoin 

of Donald McMillan, (McMillaa-s Exploration Ship) 

the hardy Arctic explorer upon whose shoulders the mantle of 
Peary has been laid. In the heart of the village is Codman 
Tavern (formerly Jameson Tavern), which in old staging days 
was a favorite stopping place for travellers between Portland and 




YARMOUTH 










COASTAL MAINE 


177 




CODMAN TAVERN, FREEPORT 


Bath. But few of the old-time Maine public houses remain, and 
when one is found it is very interesting to people who stop to con¬ 
sider how different the life of seventy-five years ago is from our 
life to-day. For years 
the story has been passed 
down that in this same 
Jameson Tavern com¬ 
missioners from Massa¬ 
chusetts and Maine met 
and signed the final 
papers that made Maine 
a separate State. The 
narration has passed 
current so long that it 
seems almost a matter 

for regret that it has been found to have no foundation in fact. 

In itself we think the small village of South Freeport is more 
enticing than the larger center of the town. After a long history 
as a hamlet seaport which built ships, engaged in fishing, and 
sent out merchantmen according to the habit of Maine ports, it 
came to the notice of city dwellers who now seek to monoplize 

its charms. I always 
think this little village 
(if properly we may call 
it such) nods to the vis¬ 
itor a sort of welcome 
and introduction to the 
pleasant island and wa¬ 
ter scenery of Casco 
Bay. From tiny Pound 
of Tea close to the 
shore, to the outer is¬ 
lands several miles 
oceanward the beauty 
<lefies description. Probably Casco Bay offers as much in attractive 
<liversity as any body of water of equal size in America. It is 
thought to be more thickly studded with islands than any other 
hay in the United States and its boundaries almost wholly are 
composed of capes and peninsulas. Raleigh Gilbert described the 


APPROACHING SOUTH FREEPORT 







178 


COASTAL MAINE 


locality thus: “Betwixt the said headland and Semiamis (Cape 
Elizabeth) and the river Sagadahoc is a great bay; in the which 
there lyeth so many islands so near together, that there can hardly 
be discerned the number; yet many a ship passes betwixt, the great¬ 
est part of them having seldom less water than eight or ten fathoms 
about them.” The bay is rich in its stories of pirate lore, of 
Indian life, and of minor struggles when the aborigines and the 
paleface intruders were pitted against each other. To a consider¬ 
able extent tliese tales have been worked into oui‘ literature. But 
Casco Bay is chiefly a country of the present and not of the past. 



A VIEW FROM PEAKS ISLAND 


In summer it is one of the fairest regions on earth. Pick out 
almost any one from tlie profusion of islands and although no 
early settlement was made there, although no chief made it his 
habitation, although no battle was waged near its shores, yet on 
account of its own self and its own beauty it fails not to challenge 
our attention and admiration. 

Many a tourist in Portland as he views the nearer water is 
strongly enough possessed with the call of the sea to buy a ticket 
and take a day’s sail down among the islands. Barely outside the 
harbor the front of White Head, one of the most impressive head¬ 
lands in New England, rises one hundred and fifty feet above the 
waves. Peaks Island, an insular ward of the city, and fairly popu- 





LITTLE DIAMOND ISLAND 




































180 


COASTAL MAINE 


lous in its own right, is always in sight. In the warm summer 
days Peaks is one of Portland’s most popular recreation places, and 
its western side presents a goodly array of hotels, shops, and varied 
amusements commonly found in such places. Here is the Mecca 
for those who wish to wander up and down with the crowd, but 
strange though it may seem, a ten-minutes walk to the eastern side 
brings one to a solitude, save for Neptune’s play with the waves. 
There is present the aroma of a windswept forest that scarcely is 
broken by a footpath and the ocean side seems abandoned and wild. 



AN ISLAND HEADLAND 


Nestling within the nearer lee of Peaks is Little Diamond which 
is counted the most exclusive and beautiful island in the bay. 
When the cliif walls of Great Diamond have been passed and 
Long Island approached, the trip down the bay with all its changing 
scenery has fairly begun. All of the islands are the seats of sum¬ 
mer homes, since people from the West and from Canada as well 
as from nearer places, have elected to spend their vacations here. 
Most of the islands also have an all-the-year-round population. 

The most lonesome outpost of the bay is Jewell’s Island which 
is a reputed depository of the treasure of Captain Kidd and other 
freebooters. The actual digging that has been done on the island 
by credulous folks in search of the buried wealth represents no 
small amount of labor. 



COASTAL MAINE 


181 


The largest of all the islands of Casco Bay is Great Chebeague, 
some ten miles from Portland. It is a part of the town of Cum¬ 
berland. As would be expected, there is a considerable number 
of summer cottages and hotels on the island, but irrespective of 
those who come and go, three hundred souls dependent on the 
fishing industry live here the year through. All of the people are 
in at least what we consider comfortable circumstances and all 
possess the keen, observant intelligence so characteristic of Yankee 
seafaring folk. 

Although the observer is familiar with the coast from Eastport 
to the tide of the Piscataqua, yet after he has climbed the summit 
of Chebeague, he is certain to exclaim that before him lies one of 
the grandest views of all. The islands and the long reaches of 
water between them extend away in a certain orderly arrangement, 
yet all unlike and broken. In this archipelago is Eagle Island, 
the home of the late Lieu¬ 
tenant Robert E. Peary. 

After braving the great 
dangers and the intense 
cold and solitude of the 
Arctic with a persistence 
and success displayed by no 
other man, the great ex¬ 
plorer chose to return to 
the familiar ground of his 
youth and, enshrined in the 
beauties of Casco Bay, half 
way between Portland, his 
boyhood home, and Bow- 
doin, his alma mater, he 
set up his home. 

Towards evening the 
visitor on Great Chebeague 
should not omit to walk 
over to the western end of 

the island, more unsettled and wild than the rest, where the reflected 
sunlight overspreads the water with golden hues such as no painter 
on earth can picture; and beyond the waters in the soft evening 
glow the spires of Munjoy Hill stand in clear relief against the 



LIEUTENANT ROBERT E. PEARY 


182 


COASTAL MAINE 




A LONG ISLAND SCENE 


sky. After all, what approaches paradise more closely than this 
home of the fisher folks.? 

Just opposite Portland on the opposite side of the deep, land¬ 
locked harbor is “The Cape”; or to go into particulars, we are 
speaking of the rugged, irregular wedge of land, projecting seven 

or eight miles into the 
ocean, that is called 
Cape Elizabeth. This 
well known landmark 
of the Atlantic coast 
was named by Captain 
John Smith in honor of 
the Virgin Queen. Two 
political divisions are in¬ 
cluded by the Cape, the 
city of South Portland 
and the town of Cape 
Elizabeth. 

The South Portland side of the harbor is but slightly developed 
and a keen prophetic sense hardly is necessary to foresee the great 
prosperity that will come when Portland’s harbor facilities become 
overcrowded and large 
business begins to go to 
the other side. The 
time is not far distant 
when South Portland 
will become more than 
a mere residential town 
that pours its tide of 
population over to its 
larger neighbor in the 
morning and receives it 
again at evening. A 
new, commodious bridge 
across Fore River now connects the two cities and in all probability 
the smaller municipality soon will become a part of a greater 
Portland. 

Well developed market gardening has added much to the pros¬ 
perity of South Portland, and further down the Cape in Cape 


CLIFF ISLAND 







COASTAL MAINE 


183 


Elizabeth there is one of the best agricultural sections in the State. 
For years the farmers have specialized in raising cabbages and 
■squashes, until Cape Elizabeth products are recognized beyond the 
borders of New England. The Cape gardeners are models of 
patient industry. Day after day between the busy harvesting and 
planting seasons their long carts filled with farm produce wend 
their way across the Portland bridge to the freight stations and 
return laden with manure and phosphates for the upkeep of the 
farms. 

But beyond everything else the scenic wealth of this locality is 
bringing fame and gain. There is nothing besides about Portland 
as grand as this Cape 
Shore. Just beyond the 
more thickly settled part 
of South Portland, skirt¬ 
ing the water-front, 
is a succession of so- 
called parks, in reality 
residential areas, all at¬ 
tractive and filled with 
the comfortable and in 
some cases pretentious 
homes of both summer 
and permanent residents. 

The best known of these places is Cape Cottage where the visitor 
may enjoy a shore dinner and afterwards from the wide piazzas 
of the casino spend an interesting hour in studying the features of 
Casco Bay. Close by are many small recesses of the ocean and 
the shores are unusually rocky and jagged, even for this irregular 
coast; towards the sea is an unobstructed view of the outer bay 
from diminutive, square-cut Junk of Pork to Jewell’s Island of 
uncanny repute. Here also is the strong military reservation of 
Fort Williams with its uniformed men, strong fortifications, gigan¬ 
tic guns, and martial music. On a little point between the forts 
and the ocean is Portland Head Light. This lighthouse is known 
to seafarers wherever Portland is known. It has been the subject 
of innumerable paintings, magazine illustrations, and postcard 
pictures. It was erected in 1791 to guide shipmasters into Port¬ 
land harbor, and with one exception, is the oldest beacon light 



DEER POINT, CHEBEAGUE 





184 


COASTAL MAINE 


on the Atlantic coast. The light tower is one hundred feet above 
the sea and overlooks an area as picturesque as can be found in 
Maine. At night the flashing light is a cheerful sight to the 
landsman as well as to the mariner. Here the waters roll in all 
unimpeded and the head is noted for its heavy surf. Old Atlantic 
in his mad fury has hurled the spray over the top of this lofty 
structure which often trembles as if in fear of the sea, and it is 
an exceedingly calm day when the waters do not dash and churn 
against the cliff-rocks at its base. Living amidst this freedom and 
violence of the ocean, and at the same time within hailing distance 

of every large vessel 
that passes to or from 
Portland harbor, the 
lighthouse keeper’s life 
must be eventful and 
attractive. 

We cannot contem¬ 
plate the environs of 
Cape Cottage without 
thanking John Neal for 
building there a hotel, 
CAPE COTTAGE, CAPE ELIZABETH “cottage,” which en¬ 

couraged people to come 
and get acquainted with the place. Inert are we indeed if we do 
not catch some of the promoter’s spirit and with him exclaim: 

“Hurrah for Cape Cottage, hurrah! 

Hurrah for a sight of the sea! 

Hurrah for the girls that are found there! 

Hurrah for the rocks that abound there! 

With perch weighing a pound there! 

Hurrah for the wind blowing free!” 

Passing the parks and leading through Pond Cove is the thor¬ 
oughfare known as the Shore Road beside which, save where some 
nook or headland has fallen into the real estate promoters’ hands, 
the houses are few. Wild shrubs and bushes, many of which are 
peculiar to coast regions, grow by the roadside in uncouth pro¬ 
fusion, while the trees become more and more uneven and stunted. 
The islands of the bay are being left behind and always before the 





COASTAI. MAINE 


185 



traveler’s gaze out past the twisted bluffs and treacherous rocks is 
the open ocean, blue, vast, unbroken and losing itself in the distance. 

Nothing can more thoroughly arouse the latent idealism of the 
mind than to walk down this same Shore Road at the close of a 
storm some summer afternoon, just as the sun’s rays are breaking 
through the western clouds and the wet mist is still hovering over 
land and sea. Even the wayside fences seem a little uncertain 
and specter-like and the small alternating patches of field and 
forests, appear changed, as if sun and clouds had combined to 
place them all within the halo of a fairy land. The ocean is seen 
indistinctly through the 
dissolving clouds and a 
six-masted ship rides in 
the offing. There is a 
witchery in it all to 
divert one from our 
prosaic world. 

The climax of all the 
Cape Elizabeth country 
is attained when we 
have continued down to 
the very extremity of 
the Cape and stand within the shadows of the lofty shafts of the 
Two Lights. The land projects far enough into the sea to permit 
an unobstructed view that is extensive and very impressive. For 
many miles the coastline on either side is visible. There comes the 
same impress that we feel when standing on the lofty heads of 
Monhegan and Grand Manan. Encouraged by the winds the 
unobstructed waves beat against the cliffs with deep-motioned and 
confident power. Mentally we picture the fascination and re¬ 
morselessness of the sea, but we do not feel the isolation here that 
we experience on Monhegan. Harpswell Neck, Small Point, and 
old Seguin, although distant, are discernible and seem like neigh¬ 
bors; and we are conscious always that the city is near. 

Generally speaking, the profusion of remarkable scenes dulls the 
appreciation of the visitor to the Maine coast, but the awakening 
at the Two Lights is not likely to be forgotten. The ocean has 
as many moods as the human mind and the folks of the Cape are 
acquainted with them all. 


SHORE SCENE, CAPE ELIZABETH 




186 


COASTAL MAINE 


Noted as it is for its agricultural resources and its scenic wealthy 
Cape Elizabeth has an interesting history. A mile west of the 
Two Lights is Richmond’s Island, the Isle de Bacchus of Cham¬ 
plain, where he saw wild grapes a-plenty and “fine oakes and nut- 
trees”; nor does he fail to mention that over across on the main¬ 
land, more than eighty savages came dancing down the shores to 
see the strangers and their ships. 



A BIT OF CAPE ELIZABETH SHORE 

To-day we find a rather low, regular island of cultivated land 
with a single set of buildings and a very tiny tract of evergreen 
wood. The whole comprises one large farm. The island is close 
to the main, and is set all unobstructed in the grandest of sea sur¬ 
roundings. The aspect of Richmond’s Island is quiet and serene. 
At one time it was an important factor in Maine history, and 
assuredly has enjoyed more active and populous days. 

We believe that this island’s first white inhabitant was John 
Burgess. He was followed in 1627 by Walter Bagnell—“Great 
Walt” he was called—who without douht, as Winthrop tells us, 




COASTAL MAINE 


187 


was a wicked fellow who did much wrong to the Indians. But 
surely the man possessed a toughness of fiber and a will of his own 
to rear his cabin trading-post miles away from his fellows in the 
midst of a vast solitude. Imagine his life, all his days and nights 
on this lonely forest island. Was it some oddity of character, or 
the love of filthy lucre that 
lured him thither to a life of 
isolation and danger? There 
was something in this Bagnell 
that partly compels our ad¬ 
miration. In an age when it 
was counted no unpardonable 
sin to cheat a redskin it is 
probable that he took advantage 
of the simple minds of the 
Indians and too often in ex¬ 
change for the furs they 
brought him gave the maddening firewater instead of more valu¬ 
able commodities. Such was the belief of the Indians, and taking 
justice into their own hands, they murdered Great Walt on his 
own island and left his cabin a bed of ashes. 

Very soon afterwards the English merchant Trelawny sent John 
Winter with some sixty men overseas to conduct a business from 
Richmond’s Island. Nearly the entire island was converted to 
agriculture and it also was a noted fishing station. Trade with 
the Indians was maintained, hogs and goats were raised, and little 
tracts of land, some of which were on the mainland, were rented 
to the settlers. Hither came the ships and thither they sailed away. 
More people came and the isle bustled with activity. Winter, a 
capable, grasping, driving fellow, directed everything. The under¬ 
lings thought him a hard taskmaster. Once he was presented to 
the court for charging Thomas Wise the exorbitant price of a 
noble for a gallon of aqua vitae, and afterwards the spirits that 
Winter dispensed were called “noble liquors.” Doubtlessly Mrs. 
Winter was a sympathetic, efficient helpmate, inasmuch as she 
seems to have possessed many of the thrifty traits of her husband. 
She soundly beat her servant girls when they were delinquent 
and she complained because her maid would not feed the hogs 
nor milk the goats unless accompanied by her mistress. Evidently 



Richmond’s island 





188 


COASTAL MAINE 


in those times the matter of hired help was something of a 
problem. 

The spiritual welfare of Trelawny’s settlement was not over¬ 
looked. Rev. Richard Gibson was the first minister and he re¬ 
mained three years. At first he was well liked by John Winter, 
but presently an ill feeling sprang up between them, presumably 
because the young clergyman did not fall to the charms of Miss 
Sara Winter, the overseer’s daughter. Indeed young Gibson well 
knowing that he would incur the displeasure of his patron, had the 
temerity to wed a young woman of Saco. Rev. Robert Jordan, 
the Oxonian, followed Mr. Gibson. Although he did not succumb 
immediately, he finally married Miss Winter and all went well 
on that score. 

The business on Richmond’s Island continued about ten years 
before John Winter died. Robert Jordan then took up the man¬ 
agement of the enterprise and presently by a court decree, as we 
have already recited, came to the ownership of the whole Tre- 
lawny grant. Jordan soon moved over to Spurwink where he 
resided until the Indian troubles arose, and there he managed his 
newly acquired estates as snugly and closely as did his father-in- 
law before him. There can be no questioning the fact that in 

comparison with Vines, 
Josselyn, Cleeve, and 
all the others, Jordan 
was first in intellectual 
attainments and business 
acumen. And that is 
equivalent to saying that 
he was a man of un¬ 
usual ability. 

In the lap of a sandy 
plain skirting the course 
of the Androscoggin is 
Brunswick, and on the 
opposite side is the 
smaller town of Tops- 
ham. The one is on a site comparatively unattractive and unpro¬ 
ductive, the other is settled picturesquely on the side of a hill and 
commands a good overlook of the country. Between the villages 





COASTAL MAINE 


189 



NEW MEADOWS RIVER 


the i:ver plunges over the ledges and mill-dams with a roar that 
is telling us not to be unmindful of the might and strength of 
Pejepscot Falls. The Brunswick of to-day is a center of travel 
converging from all parts of the State. One factor and another 
have aided in making it a place of importance. Here “the spray 
of the ocean is met by 
the breath of the pine.” 

To the east is the beau¬ 
tiful New Meadows 
country and near at 
hand is Merrymeeting 
Bay where the waters 
of the Kennebec expand 
into the semblance of 
a lake and receive the 
current of the strong¬ 
flowing Androscoggin. 

The restraining shores abound in attractive indentations and could 
they talk, many a jutting point could tell us stories of the savage 
tribes who were wont to assemble here from east and north and 
west to deliberate, to feast, and to revel. 

Pejepscot (now Brunswick) was settled very early by Thomas 
Purchase, a trader who trafficked for the peltry brought in by the 
Indians and who developed the excellent salmon and sturgeon fish¬ 
eries that were found there. He sent his output to the London 
market and for a while was very successful. Purchase was reputed 
to be crafty in his dealings and one old sagamore of the Andro- 
scoggins said he had paid £100 for water drawn from Purchase’s 
well and mixed with his liquors. So it is not surprising that the 
first violence in Maine in King Philip’s War was the raiding of 
Purchase’s strong house at Pejepscot. In one of the intervals be¬ 
tween the wars the village took a new start and became a busy, 
prosperous lumber center with quite an array of saw-mills in differ¬ 
ent parts of the town. When the last French and Indian War 
was over Brunswick settled down to a continuous development. 
A mall which is still one of the distinctive features of the village 
was marked out where once beavers had been trapped in an alder 
swamp, and where at a later day venturesome cows were likely 
to get mired. 




190 


COASTAL MAINE 


Brunswick is now a well established manufacturing town, but 
its greatest asset is Bowdoin College, the oldest and most renowned 
of the higher educational institutions of Maine. As we strolled 
about the attractive campus and viewed the Gothic college chapel 
and the well appointed buildings that compose the college, we 
thought of the small beginning of this institution which through 

the century and more 
of its existence has gone 
on adding triumph to 
triumph. We found 
our way to Massachu¬ 
setts Hall which was 
reared in the beginning. 
It was for a short time 
the entire college,—the 
president’s home, the 
students’ dormitory, the 
chapel, and the place 
of the recitation rooms. 
The floors were without 
paint, the walls without 
paper, and fireplaces, 
far from satisfactory, 
were the only facilities 
for heating. According 
to Professor Packard’s 
statement there was no 
artificial heat provided at chapel exercises during the first twenty 
or thirty years of the college. At first the faculty consisted only 
of the president and the professor of languages. There was no 
college bell and the president called the students together by thump- 
ing his cane against the stairs. The college grounds were sur¬ 
rounded by woods through which paths led to the riverside. In 
part these surroundings have been preserved and the Bowdoin 
Pines, sung by Longfellow, are scarcely less celebrated than the 
college itself. 

Bowdoin’s Act of Incorporation was signed by Governor Samuel 
Adams, of Massachusetts, long before Maine became a State. The 





MASSACHUSETTS HALL 
























192 


COASTAL MAINE 


institution was named in honor of James Bowdoin, a man of 
liberal education and a distinguished governor of the Bay State,, 
as well as a valued friend of both Franklin and Washington. 

In 1811 a son, also 
named James Bowdoin, 
himself a minister to 
the courts of France 
and Spain, gave his val¬ 
uable library and gallery 
of paintings, together 
with land and money 
to the needy college. 

Before the actual es¬ 
tablishment of Bowdoin 
half a dozen Maine 
towns contended to gain 
the prospective college. 
Portland presented its 
advantages, but the trustees were wary of the “many Temptations 
to Dissipation, Extravagance, Vanity, and various Vices of great 
Sea-Port Towns.” The 
claims of New Glou¬ 
cester were thought¬ 
fully considered, but 
the owner of the desired 
land refused to sell be¬ 
cause he thought the 
students would steal his 
apples from a neighbor¬ 
ing orchard. It was 
with considerable diffi¬ 
culty that Brunswick 
was selected as the site 
of the proposed institu- . 

tion, and the students- ^ 

to-be saved from the bad influences of seaport towns, and the New 
Gloucester apples left to ripen in safety. 

If the early advantages of the college were meager there was 
nevertheless a high purpose on the part of the students therein and 










COASTAL MAINE 


193 


a deal of pomp and ceremony on the part of the officials and 
faculty. At the first commencement when a class of eight was 
graduated, prominent people came all the way from Massachusetts 
as well as from all parts of the District of Maine. One of the 
incidents, or accidents if you will have it so, was the overturning 
of General Knox’s carriage in a washout in one of the village 
streets. In fact, on account of the fury of the elements, the com¬ 
mencement exercises were postponed one day and were presided 
over the next day by President McKeen in the pulpit of an un¬ 
finished church with an 
umbrella over his head. 

These occurrences, it 
should be borne in mind, 
were in the times when 
amusements were few 
and everybody was glad 
to go to these formal and 
unusual graduation exer¬ 
cises. For many years 
after this, owing to the 
conditions we have in¬ 
dicated, the commence¬ 
ments at Bowdoin, con¬ 
sidering the outside activ¬ 
ities, were quite differ¬ 
ent from the commence¬ 
ments of the present time. 

Elijah Kellogg, who had 
a good memory and knew 
Bowdoin as well as any¬ 
body knew it, penned this description: “With dignified offi¬ 
cials, sober matrons, and gay belles and beaux came also horse 
jockeys, wrestlers, snake-charmers, gamblers, and venders of every 
sort. The college yard was dotted with booths where were sold 
gingerbread, pies, egg-nog, long-line cigars, beer small, and alas! 
too often for good order, beers large. While seniors in the 
church were discoursing on immortality,’ jockeys outside were 
driving sharp trades and over-convivial visitors engaging in free 
fights.” 



8 




194 


COASTAL MAINE 



Bowdoin always will be remembered as the college of Long¬ 
fellow and Hawthorne. The latter student in these classic sur¬ 
roundings and “many shady retreats where even study is pleasant 
and idleness delicious” attuned his sensitive, melancholy mind to 
the proper imaginative pitch to become the premier of American 


CLASS OF ’78 GATEWAY 

novelists. Within these walls Franklin Pierce gained the training 
that served him when he became president of the United States. 
From Bowdoin came the Abbotts and Elijah Kellogg and Arlo 
Bates and others who have honored the profession of literature. 
Youths who later became captains of industry and the heads of 
great financial and railroad systems acquired the foundations of 
future greatness within these walls and beneath these classic pines. 
Many graduates became presidents of other colleges, as Harris of 
Amherst, and Day of Syracuse. General Howard, the hero of 
Fair Oaks and afterwards president of Howard University, and 
brave General Chamberlain, hero of Round Top and afterwards 
governor of Maine and president of Bowdoin, were leaders among 
the alumni who gained distinction in martial valor. After repeated 








COASTAL 


MAINE 


195 


attempts had been made by 
men of America and Europe 
to reach the North Pole the 
feat was accomplished by a son 
of Bowdoin. In college Peary 
was noticeably thorough and 
tenacious and there he largely 
acquired the qualities which en¬ 
abled him to reach the goal 
which had been the objective 
of so many explorers before 
him, but which none of them 
attained. Fessenden became 
the indispensable financier in 
Lincoln’s days of trial. With¬ 
in recent years Melville W. 

Fuller was Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court of the 
United States, William P. Frye was President pro tern, of the 
Senate, and Thomas B. Reed was Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, all at the same time. The three men were all 
alumni of Bowdoin. The college has given to the nation a dozen 

governors of states, as many United 
States senators, and some thirty 
congressmen. No other small col¬ 
lege and only two or three of our 
large universities can point to a 
roll of so many illustrious names. 
It is a list of which Old Bowdoin 
and the State of Maine may well 
be proud. .. 

It would be a serious omission, 
did we not state that throughout 
Bowdoin’s course of more than a 
century, her faculty has been dis¬ 
tinguished for teachers of ability 
and devotion to duty. The college 
may have been more fortunate than 
MELVILLE w. FULLER Others (we do not say it is true). 




FRANKLIN PIERCE 


196 


COASTAL MAINE 



THE PEARY HOME ON EAGLE ISLAND 


but it is in no small degree due to the teaching of their alma 
mater, rather than to accident, that so many graduates of Bowdoin 
have gained success and honor in the world. The distinguished 
educational leaders who have gone from Bowdoin to the faculties 

of other colleges were 
enabled to do so only 
through the thorough 
training of their college 
days. To-day Bow- 
doin’s faculty is able 
and alert and the col¬ 
lege, as ever, keeps step 
with the demands of 
an ever-widening life. 
This is well; for we 
can think of no other 
higher institution of this 
character whose faculty and students have a more difficult task in 
living up to the unexcelled record of the past. 

AJong the main street of Brunswick village is a modest white- 
painted dwelling, after the style of substantial Maine farmhouses, 
which is pointed out to the stranger as the birthplace of Uncle 
Tom’s Cabin. The publication of this novel, easily the most influ- 
tial of American books, has been termed an “historical event” and 
to us it is of more than common interest to trace its evolution 
from the beginning. 

Professor Stowe was a teacher in a Cincinnati theological school 
and for fifteen years Harriet Beecher Stowe, his wife, was engaged 
so busily in contending with poverty and bringing up a family of 
children, that she had little time to do anything else. The time 
came when it was imperative for the Stowes to do something to 
better their condition. For some time the family had been divided 
and at length the husband decided to accept a professorship at 
Bowdoin and restore a united home life. Mrs. Stowe with three 
of her five children went to Brunswick before the rest of the 
family. Neither the coming nor the future prospect was cheering 
or portentous of a great event. The future author, to use her 
own words, “landed in Brunswick in the midst of a drizzly, inex¬ 
haustible northeast storm and began the work of getting into order 




C O A S T A L M A I N E 


197 


a desolate, dreary, damp house.” The strong mind and heroic 
soul of the woman was more than sufficient to overcome the diffi¬ 
culties in the way, and ere long the entire family were domiciled 
happily under one roof. 

It was in a time when far-reaching slavery measures were on 
trial and political agitation prevailed throughout the land. New 
and stringent laws favored the slave power and aroused feeling in 
the North was beginning to shake the very foundations of civic 
life. It is unlikely that Mrs. Stowe ever had given much thought 
to authorship and probably she did not realize her unusual ability; 
but Mrs. Edward Beecher, in a letter said to hei: “Now, Hattie, 
if I could use a pen as you can, I would write something that 
would make this whole nation feel what an accuised thing slavery 
is.” As she read, Mrs. Stowe crushed the letter in her hand and 
with determination stamped on her countenance, exclaimed: “I 
will write something, I will if I live!” 

Soon afterwards while Mrs. Stowe was attending the com¬ 
munion services in the college church, quickly like the unveiling 
of a picture the scene of Uncle Tom’s death passed before her 
mind. Deeply moved, she scarcely could refrain from weeping 
aloud, and hurrying 
home, she seized pen 
and paper and wrote 
down the vision she had 
seen. When she had 
read to her family what 
she had written, the 
little ones broke into 
spells of violent sob¬ 
bing. 

The story began as a 
serial in the National 
Era and ran rather more 
than a year. Mrs. Stowe at first contemplated a narration of 
perhaps a dozen chapters, but once commenced, it grew beyond 
expected limits and could not be controlled. “It wrote itself,’ 
she declared; “My heart was burning with anguish exacted by the 
cruelty and injustice our nation was showing to the slave and 
praying God to let me do a little, and cause my cry for them to 





198 


COASTAL MAINE 


be heard.’’ The interest excited by the appearance of Uncle 
Tom’s Cabin was immediate and intense. The author’s talented 
brother took up the book and read continuously until the story 
was finished; and when he had laid down the book, he never 
would take it up again. The narration, strong and appealing, 
and coming at a moment when the public mind was nearly 
aflame, exerted an influence beyond all calculation and became 
one of the compelling factors that hastened the liberation of 
the negroes. Knowing that the Fugitive Slave Law had been the 
direct cause of inciting Mrs. Stowe to take up her pen, William 
Lloyd Garrison said: “Better would it be for slavery if that law 
never had been enacted.” 

A Boston publisher first issued the story in book form, paying 
the author a royalty of ten per cent of the sales. Three thousand 
copies were sold the first day after the work came from the bind¬ 
ery. Within a year one hundred and twenty editions, more than 
three hundred thousand books, were sold in our country alone. 
The success of Uncle Tom’s Cabin abroad was scarcely less remark¬ 
able. In England the publication ran through successive editions. 
It is said that the book has been printed in more than a score of 
foreign tongues. In writing the story Mrs. Stowe had worked 
solely for the cause of freedom with little or no thought of 
pecuniary reward. The Era paid her $300 for the serial. It is 
pleasing to note that the devoted woman who so unselfishly gave 
of her talents received an unlooked-for recompense. Within four 
months her book royalties totaled $10,000 and much more fol¬ 
lowed. The poor professor’s wife’s battle with poverty was fought 
to its finish and won. 

Down past the sandy plains of Brunswick is Harpswell, in its 
physical contour the most broken and disintegrated of all the towns 
of Maine. Here the elemental granite has been wrenched asunder 
by a force more than Titanic and thrown piece by piece into the 
sea. The mainland part of the town consists of a series of ragged 
peninsulas and points, the largest of which is about nine miles in 
length and runs parallel with a chain of islands on either side of 
it. Within the confines of the town the blue sea waters wind in 
a maze. In the number and variety of its islands Harpswell is 
said to lead all other towns in the country. Harpswell is the 


COASTAL MAINE 


199 




foundling of Casco Bay. 
Other townships to be 
sure border on this 
splendid body of water, 
but drawn-out, sea-girt 
Harpswell in all its nu¬ 
merous parts is enshrined 
in the bay itself. In all 
its inlets and passages and 
ocean rivers the motions 
of the tide never cease. 


In disunited, rugged 

, 11 • THE PEARL HOUSE, ORR S ISLAND 

beauty Harpswell is un¬ 
surpassed. The peninsulas and islands are marked by summer 
colonies and hotels giving the appearance of little villages well out 
to sea. Eagle Island of which we have spoken before is in this 

town. Said Admiral Peary: 
“We pass the winter months 
in Washington; we live at 
Eagle Island.” Breasting the 
unobstructed sweep of the east¬ 
ern storms, Bailey’s Island with 
its mingling of old-fashioned 
seafarers and of summer visitors 
and its roughly indented shores 
is one of the famous places 
along our coast. Mrs. Clara 
Louise Burnham, the author, 
has a summer home on Bai¬ 
ley’s. Orr’s Island nearby with 
its long ridge of alternating 
woodland and farmland sug¬ 
gests the smooth wave swells 
of the sea. In The Pearl of 
Orr’s Island, Mrs. Stowe gave 
a true description of the old 
homes, the sandy beach, the 
THE GIANT STAIRWAY, bailey’s pirate’s retreat, all of which 
ISLAND are easily recognized. She not 





200 


COASTAL MAINE 



BETWEEN ORR S AND GREAT ISLAND 


only made this island famous, but she delineated the sturdy old 
New England characters of the coast people with a vividness, and 

sympathy and kindly 
humor that is found 
nowhere else. 

Of the pursuits of 
the interior the old- 
time coast folks knew 
little and perhaps cared 
less, but in the sea¬ 
faring arts they were 
very skillful. Their 
pride laid in their good 
ships and their captains 
of the sea. Living in the midst of enlivening and mystic sur¬ 
roundings, with considerable superstition for leavening, they be¬ 
came an imaginative people, old and quaint and wise in a sea lore as 
interesting as it was strange. 

A striking example of this 
fact is suggested by Whit¬ 
tier’s well known poem. The 
Dead Ship of Harpswell, 
which was founded on a 
legend current among Orr’s 
Island folk. 

No other inhabitant has 
filled a place in the hearts 
of the people of Harpswell 
as fully as Rev. Elijah Kel¬ 
logg. Portland-born, the 
son of one of the well 
known pastors of that town, 
as a lad he was active and 
mischievous, and indeed the 
same may be said of him as 
a man. It was his boyish 
delight to listen to the yarns 
of the sailors and when thirteen years old he went to sea and for 
three years followed the mast. But meantime he gained some 



REV. ELIJAH KELLOGG 





COASTAL MAINE 


201 


inkling of his worth and returned to complete courses of study 
at Gorham Academy, Bowdoin, and Andover. At Bowdoin he 
entered heart and soul into the pranks of the undergraduates. 
He captured the president’s hat and put it on top of the chapel 
spire, and it is hinted, although we take no stock in the story, that 
when his financial resources, gave out, he burned the college fence 
so that he might get the job of building a new one. However, 
it is certain he defrayed his expenses as he went along and on the 
whole he was a manly and helpful fellow in college. 

While in the theological school at Andover, Kellogg wrote 
Spartacus to the Gladiators, the best classic of its kind in the Eng¬ 
lish language. About that time he went to Harpswell to preach 
for a few Sundays and the people besought him to become their 
minister. Kellogg accepted the invitation and for more than half 
of the long life that remained to him he devoted himself to the 
good of the free-hearted folks of his water-divided parish. There 
was an interim of ten years when he was pastor of the Marine 
Church in Boston; and at intervals during that period and for sev¬ 
eral years afterwards he wrote juvenile books for the youth of 
our nation. Good Old Times, probably his best work, is a story 
of early Gorham; Strong Arms and a Mother’s Blessing is a story 
of Fryeburg; and the narrative of Lion Ben of Elm Island was 
drawn from the midst of Harpswell surroundings. 

Unfortunately his publishers failed and his copyrights were lost 
to him. As a poor man he settled on a farm in Harpswell and 
strove on in his ministerial work. He became a venerable and 
familiar figure. To see him drive down to the village and tie 
his faithful horse to the railing, one scarcely would think of him 
as a distinguished man. But the townspeople knew him well and 
appreciated him. He was generous to a fault and in material 
affairs seemed to make no provision for the morrow, but he looked 
out faithfully for the poor of his parish and spent many a day in 
assisting some worthy fisherman in his toil. Sometimes he varied 
his routine of life by driving up to the college and dropping into 
some student’s room where he always was welcome. He often 
was called upon to make addresses at Bowdoin and elsewhere, and 
he sometimes did, but naturally he was shy and reticent. His 
mind, however, was ever exquisite in its sense of verbal beauty 
and was weighted with real genius. All in all he was ‘‘the farmer 


202 


COASTAL MAINE 


preacher, devout and resourceful, making pen and book, scythe and 
hoe, seine and boat all his ready servants to do God’s work.” 

One June afternoon in 1902 Bowdoin was celebrating her cen¬ 
tennial in a manner befitting her station. A big tent was taxed 
to its utmost capacity and the most brilliant and prosperous alumni 
were gathered there from far and near. Generals, judges, sena¬ 
tors, governors, congressmen, and college presidents were there and 
oratory was at high tide on that famous campus. Finally Elijah 
Kellogg was called. An old man past three score years and ten 
arose from a position well back on the platform and stepped for¬ 
ward with diffidence. As if prompted by the selfsame impulse, 
every member of the great audience arose to do him honor. And 
then amid the hush that followed the real oration of that after¬ 
noon was delivered. “I stand here to-day like an old tree among 
younger growth, from whose trunk the bark and limbs have fallen, 
and whose roots are dying in the soil; but there is no decrepitude 
of spirit. Moons may wax and wane, flowers may bloom and 
wither, but the associations that link a student to his intellectual 
birthplace are eternal.” When he had finished and many eyes still 
were moist with tears, he quietly slipped away from the big tent 
while the applause was loudest and hurrying across the campus he 
unhitched his horse and started back to Harpswell, followed by the 
echoes of the demonstration in his honor to cheer him on his way. 

It might seem that 
the acme of coastal 
beauty had been reached 
as the visitor looks from 
South Harpswell at the 
extreme tip of the penin¬ 
sula and views Casco 
Bay on every side, but 
to get the fullest appre¬ 
ciation of this broken 
country he should sail 
across to Cundy’s Har¬ 
bor, walk through the sharply pitched hollows of Sebasco, and turn 
towards Small Point. This new country is as varied and delight¬ 
ful as any in Harpswell with the advantage of a more abundant 
forest and a population less disturbed by summer residents. It is 



HARBOR 




COASTAL MAINE 


203 



A COVE AT SMALL POINT 


the land of the combined fisherman and small farmer. Comfort¬ 
able little houses occupy the rough, ledgy land and face the thor¬ 
oughfares. The land bordering the highways that was pasture once 
is now partially neglected and half overgrown with juniper thick¬ 
ets, half covered with 
blueberry bushes; and 
seldom does the person 
pass by in the berry sea¬ 
son who resists sitting 
down by the roadside 
and taking his fill of 
the delicious fruit. The 
harmony of the sea 
seems everywhere. 

Many, very many, have 
been the descriptions of 
these regions, from the efforts of those who compose the little 
advertisements for hotels and steamship companies to the attempts 
of those who essay more pretentious composition, but none convey 
the real charm of the country, and none quite succeed in telling 
how it really appears. 

The town east of New Meadows Bay, including these places we 
have mentioned, is Phipsburg. It includes landmarks and villages 

and hamlets that have 
an interesting and well 
loved local history. 
Quiet old Phipsburg 
village, facing the Ken¬ 
nebec, was once a live¬ 
ly shipbuilding center. 
Parker’s Head is fas¬ 
cinating,—a little set¬ 
tlement amidst unusu¬ 
ally rugged surround¬ 
ings, and overlooking a 
pond-like inlet of the 
sea. Formerly, when lumber was plentiful, tidal mills made this a 
busy place, but now the last mill has gone. Not so with the beauty 
of the hamlet! In another part of the town is an old stone school- 







204 


COASTAL MAINE 


house put up in the eighteenth century. At the southern extreme 
.of Phipsburg is the promonotory of Bald Head, bold and bare, 

and rightfully consid¬ 
ered one of the note¬ 
worthy features of the 
Maine coast. Nearby 
is Small Point with 
bluffs and woodlands 
and surf and a pretty 
expanse of beach,—a 
locality of a few sum¬ 
mer homes, and of a 

SMALL POINT FISHERMEN exclusive^ aspect, 

we fancy, than is found 
elsewhere in this sea-indented town. Old Seguin, outstanding and 
solitary, is the guardian sentinel of all this region. 

Doubtlessly the best known center in Phipsburg is Popham Beach, 
at the mouth of the Kennebec and close to Sabino, the seat of 
Popham’s settlement. We do not wonder that the colonists selected 
this location for their new home; and we cannot refrain from 




POPHAM BEACH 







COASTAL MAINE 


205 


wishing that they had persisted in their purpose so that Phipsburg 
could now claim equal honors with Jamestown as tne place of first 
permanent English settlement in America. A beach four miles in 
length, one of the finest in New England, is a distinctive feature 
of this pretty village and popular summer resort. Fort Popham, 
erected in the time of the Civil War and never fully completed, 
occupies a prominent position and guards the entrance to the river. 
As we board the steamboat en route to Bath, we feel that we are 
leaving behind us some of the most attractive country in Maine. 

The chief center of industry on the lower Kennebec is Bath. It 
once was a part of Georgetown. At first on account of the river 
in front of it extending straight away for a long distance, it was 
named Long Reach. On account of its paucity of live stock, 
we suppose, it sometimes was referred to as the “twenty-cow 
parish.” Bath does not boast of a thrilling early history, but 
concerns itself with a substantial narrative that belongs to later 
times. Although settled in 1660, or about that time, years elapsed 
before the settlement even could be termed a hamlet. Like other 
eastern townships it was deserted in the Indian wars. About the 
middle of the eighteenth century Bath turned its thoughts to build¬ 
ing ships and in 1762 Captain William Swanton established ship¬ 
building as a regular business and maintained shipyards until his 
death. Other builders followed, and soon after the Revolution 
this industry made big gains. The facilities for extensive business 
were favorable. The frontage was commodious. Good timber 
and spars were near at hand. The ship carpenters worked from 
sun to sun for a dollar a day and board. Skillful workmen 
all the time were growing up with the industry. The city was 
prosperous and for miles along the river’s bank the yards resounded 
from morning to night with the blows of the workmen. There 
was a time when the American flag was more in evidence in the 
world’s ports than the emblem of most other nations and it came 
about that a little past the middle of the nineteenth century ship¬ 
building reached the zenith of its prosperity. In this particular 
work the small city on the Kennebec led all the New W^orld and 
Bath-made vessels were considered the best that rode the ocean. 
Within the city’s busy shipyards the details of building were being 
studied by the keenest designers in America, or the world. When 
the California gold craze demanded more rapid transit on the 



Bath Daily Times 

THE WILLIAM P. FRYE 
KATH-RUIi;r-SUNK BY THE GERMANS 











COASTAL MAINE 


207 


ocean, Bath lost no time in putting out the half-clipper ships,—the 
most picturesque of all the commercial coursers that have graced 
the sea. We might call the clippers great commercial yachts. 
They were sharp and lithe, carrying a tremendous crowd of sail 
with all manner of devices for increasing speed. The pride and 
love of the old seafarers for this darling type of vessels was un¬ 
bounded and has not quite passed away. But with all their beauty 
and speed the clippers were not good carriers. A commercial age 
that cared little for sentiment was coming in and these ships gave 
way to others of more plebeian character and with their passing 
there passed not a little of the charm and idealism of maritime life. 

The construction of iron vessels arrested Bath’s wonderful prog¬ 
ress in her favorite handicraft and the decline in the building of 
wooden ships began. But the town was too fully impregnated 
with the spirit of its leading industry to allow it to become super¬ 
seded by any other and accordingly work began to concur with 
new demands. About 1890 the Bath Iron Works—a consoli¬ 
dation of several lesser plants—was established. Its growth was 
steady and its projects were planned and carried out on a large 
scale, so that it has become one of the most satisfactory enterprises 
in Maine. Early in its career the steel gunboats Castine and 
Machias were made for the United States navy and soon after¬ 
wards the ram Katah- 
din, conceived in error, 
useless in service, and 
condemned to an in- 
orious end, was con¬ 
structed here at the cost 
of one and a half mil¬ 
lion dollars. Since then 
several war vessels have 
been built at this plant, 
the largest of which, the 
battleship Georgia, was 
ranked among the most 
formidable fighting machines in our navy before the very recent 
day of the dreadnaughts arrived. Among other creations were the 
scout cruiser Chester and the destroyer Reid. On their trial runs 
each of the three last mentioned craft made a better record than 





BATTLESHIP GEORGIA 







208 


COASTAL MAINE 


any other vessel of like class and kind up to that time. Thus we see 
that although it has turned its endeavors to a new field, yet Bath’s 
skill and workmanship have lost nothing of their former merit. 
The output of this big concern is not confined to government work 
(nor shipbuilding for that matter), and passenger steamships and 
freighters are built at its yards as well as some of the finest pleasure 
yachts in the world. 

Although the making of wooden vessels has declined, yet it has 
not fallen into complete disuse. In the great world war this in¬ 
dustry was as active as in its palmiest days, and Bath continues to 
lead in constructing ships of wood. Far larger craft are placed 
on the stocks now than formerly. Simultaneously with the twen¬ 
tieth century came the six-master and in the building of these large 
freight vessels our Kennebec city has taken the leading part. The 
schooner Wyoming (recently lost), a Bath-built vessel of this class, 
was the largest wooden ship afloat. To sum up all of her work 
in the past century, Bath has put out more than one and a quarter 
million tons of shipping, including nearly every type of vessel 
known to the Atlantic Ocean. 

If this Maine city has reason to feel proud of its past, it also 
has cause to think well of itself to-day. Its population is greater 
than ever before and probably a more healthful prosperity never 
pervaded the town. Banking institutions, both in numbers and 
resources, far surpass similar institutions in more western centers 
of like size that are heralded for their energy and hustle. In the 
coming years with all its other opportunities for commercial life, 
it is probable that shipbuilding in some form and manner will con¬ 
tinue to prosper in this city. 

At first the locality about Winnegance Creek was the most im¬ 
portant part of Bath and tidal mills were erected there that served 
more than a hundred years. At one time there were twelve of 
these mills. When the town had attained respectable size a dis¬ 
tillery was set up for making New England rum. The proprietor 
came into bad luck as individuals who go into the liquor business 
usually do, and drowned himself one night, and the distilling busi¬ 
ness came to an end. Even then the prohibition microbe was 
abroad in the land, but we cannot place great emphasis on the 
strength of the temperance sentiment of that period when old King 
Alcohol in no small measure was adding to the wildness and con- 


COASTAL MAINE 


209 


viviality of the times. At a launching it was a proper stunt for 
a man to ride astride the bowsprit and as the vessel slid off the 
ways, drink from a bottle of rum, and then smash the bottle as 
he named the ship. What would the old-timers have thought, could 
they have looked ahead to the advent of Poland Spring water? 

In pre-Revolutionary days the patriotic spirit ran strong at Bath. 
Just after the news of the Battle of Lexington a company of 
British chanced to be at the king’s dock preparing masts. It was 
decided by the townspeople that the masts should not be taken away. 



THE king’s dock 


Dummer Sewall at the head of about thirty armed citizens went 
to the vicinity of the dock, and then Sewall proceeded alone to the 
place where the mast-makers were working and shouted in a loud 
voice: “In the name of America I command you not to strike 
another blow.” The workmen stopped suddenly, dropped their 
axes, and fled to their ship. They lost no time in getting out of 
the harbor. Possibly they had an inkling of the thirty colonists 
within shooting distance. 

Without doubt the most remarkable man who has had a promi¬ 
nent part in the Upbuilding of Bath was William King. He was 





210 


COASTAL MAINE 


born in Scarboro. His half-brother was Rufus King, another 
noted man of his time. As a youth William spent many a day 
swinging a scythe on the salt marshes or piling lumber in a sawmill. 
As his share of his father’s estate he received a pair of black steers 
with which he set out from his paternal home. He sold the steers 
at Portland, and barefooted much of the time, he continued on 

his way and got a job 
in a mill at Topsham. 
A few years later he 
was in a position to 
move to Bath. Al¬ 
though he had com¬ 
menced as a laborer and 
possessed no education 
more than the little that 
his mother had taught 
him in Dunstan, yet by 
close application to his 
w'ork he gained an in¬ 
terest in lumber mills 
and shipbuilding and 
eventually carried on a 
domestic and foreign 
commerce in his own 
ships. He was an over¬ 
bearing, domineering 
man and often with 
good reason was styled 
“The King of Bath.” 
He became a man of 
wide affairs. In his best 
days he was rated the foremost citizen in Maine and one of the 
wealthiest. He was a leader in establishing at Brunswick the first 
cotton mill in Maine. He also established the first bank in Bath. 
He was fond of card parties and entertained much and graciously. 
King was a natural leader of men and was successful in politics. 
The greatest fight of his life was for the separation of Maine from 
Massachusetts and in this cause he battled in season and out of 
season for seven years. In the election of the first governor of 





COASTAL MAINE 211 

the new state he received the support of more than ninety-five per 
cent of the voters. 

Bath people delight to tell the story of Mme. Emma Eames de 
Gogorza. The prima donna that was to be was born in Shanghai 
while her parents were residents there. When she was ten years 
old she came to Bath to make her home with her grandmother 
with whom she lived seven years. In the city high school Emma 
was a general favorite and her vivacious pranks are remembered 
to this day. Afterwards she lived at Boston and sang in a Newton 
church. Then she went to Paris to study under Mme. Marchesi. 
In 1889 Miss Eames made her debut in the Grand Opera House 
of the French capital in the role of Juliette, and from that moment 
her success was assured. Two years later she went to London, 
and thence to New York. For more than twenty years Madame 
Eames was one of the leading American favorites. At her first 
appearance in Paris she made herself think herself Juliette until 
the illusion was complete, and for years she faced the public only 
by taking upon herself the personality of the character whom she 
enacted. Her success while primarily due to her genius and apti¬ 
tude, has not been achieved without great perseverance and hard 
work. Her earnestness impressed her critics and all her hearers 
alike. Throughout the twenty-five years of her career, she sub¬ 
ordinated everything else to her work and developed a versatility 
in the great operas that was extraordinary. “I have driven myself 
all these years like a restless, sensitive, indomitable horse,” she said. 
In 1911 Madame Eames married the famous baritone singer, 
Emilio de Gogorza, and later retired from the stage. Her last 
public appearance was in Portland. For eight years the de Go- 
gorzas made their home in Bath, but now because Madame Eames’ 
health was not equal to our rigorous winter climate, they have 
regretfully left the little shipbuilding city and taken up their resi¬ 
dence in Paris. 

In the towns which we have passed through educational interests 
at no time have been neglected. In 1789 there was a general law 
that “Every town containing fifty families or more shall have one 
or more schoolmasters to teach children to read and write as well 
as in arithmetic, orthography, and decent behavior.” We suppose 
that some smaller communities did not fare as well. 


212 


COASTAL MAINE 


Early ministers in these towns appeared in church wearing large 
white wigs. In the summer time boys went to Sunday services 
barefooted and the girls went barefooted until they came within 
sight of the church when they stopped and put on their shoes. 
There were times in the pastor’s long discourse when he was likely 
to stop and shout “Wake up, my hearers!” and at the same time 
the tithing man would slam the back of a pew with his rattan. 
One tithing man in Topsham occupied a pew from which he could 
survey the road outside, and if he saw any “descendant of Belial” 
passing along, he promptly went outside to chastise him. This 
same official, so it is said, had a marked aversion to dogs and when¬ 
ever a canine strayed into church he was wont to whip it, thereby 
causing no small annoyance to the minister and the more devout 
members of the congregation. 

In the same town of Topsham as late as 1824 smoking a pipe 
or cigar on the street was prohibited, and the penalty for the offense 
was a fine of twenty-five cents. About this same time there were 
regulations against building bonfires, playing ball, snowballing, and 
letting geese run at large. One woman in the locality who de¬ 
famed the character of an innocent man was placed in the stocks 
and rotten eggs were thrown at her by those who passed by. 

In the coast country before roads of any account were con¬ 
structed, houses usually faced the sea,—a practice of which we 
shall speak again and which holds to-day on some isolated parts of 
the coast of Maine. If a person’s buildings burned, the voluntary 
contributions of his neighbors usually were sufficient to replace 
them. Sofas and carpets were rarities up to 1800. Bear skins 
often were used instead of blankets. Feather beds were bequeathed 
by will. Culinary utensils and table dishes usually were formed 
from pewter or wood. Crockery, glass, and tinware had not come 
into general use. Fire was kindled by means of flint and steel, and 
once started, it was retained by preserving live coals in tight tinder 
boxes. If by some mischance all fire in the house was lost, one of 
the children was sent with the tinder box to a neighbor to procure 
some live coals. Blazing pitch pine knots sometimes were used 
to light people to bed. During the Indian war periods when work 
was interrupted, the men in the garrisons found recreation in sing¬ 
ing psalms and doggerel rhymes and in relating stories of personal 
adventure and the forays of the savages. Huntsmen went far into 


COASTAL MAINE 


213 


the woods to capture beavers. Itinerant shoemakers went the rounds, 
stopping at each house long enough to make shoes to supply the 
family for a year. Farming was laborious and crude. Wagons 
without springs were introduced in Bath in 1816, although two¬ 
wheeled chaises had been common for some years. In Brunswick 
in the early eighteenth century balls, huskings, and apple-bees were 
popular. A little later Punch and Judy shows began to come 
around, and later still “caravans,” or in other words, exhibitions 
in tents which were the forerunners of the circus. Quack doctors 
and “divining rod” swindlers were mentioned first in 1819. 

The mails were brought by coasting vessels or by any chance 
traveler. Finally a regular carrier on foot took the mail from 
Portland to Bath every two weeks, often carrying all the letters 
in his pocket. A stage route was established in 1803 and daily 
service in 1810. In 1820 the postage on a letter ranged from 
six cents to twenty-five cents, depending upon whether the missive 
consisted of more than a single sheet of paper and also the distance 
to its destination. 

All through the first of the nineteenth century moderate drink¬ 
ing was exceedingly common and was commended by most people. 
As late as 1840 it was customary, where men were employed, to 
give a few minutes off at ten o’clock to allow the workers to get 
their toddy. Yet Josselyn long before had called rum “cursed 
liquour” and already the first Maine liquor law had stated plainly 
that for selling “strong liquor or wyne” a person should forfeit 
for every such offense “tenne shillings.” Certainly if the early 
part of Maine’s history was not as noted for sobriety as it ought 
to have been, the State since has made amends by its advanced 
legislation in this matter. 

In passing, while we are thinking of Bath and its leading indus¬ 
try, it occurs to us that in very recent years we have lost much that 
was adventuresome in the sailing of Maine ships, and that some¬ 
thing of the bold, hardy seafarer’s life has disappeared, but not all. 
At the present time Captain “Line” Jewett, of Portland, lives as 
an interesting legatee of the old Vaughn type of seamen. 

Captain Jewett is one of the active, impatient sort of men 
and is not afraid of anything. In his younger days he was 
a fisherman sailing a little smack out of Portland. One cold 
blustering day he came into port with a good fare, and as chance 


214 


COASTAL MAINE 


would have it, found the market bare of hsh. The calculating 
dealers, however, reasoned that on account of the storm in progress, 
Jewett would have to remain in the harbor and sell his fish for 
what he could get. Therefore they agreed among themselves that 
none of them would ofiFer more than a certain price, which Was 
low, and that when the purchase was made they would divide the 
fish among themselves. Captain Jewett promptly told them all to 
go to the devil and in the face of the driving storm he got his 
vessel under way and headed for Gloucester which he reached 
presently and sold his haul for a good price. 

One winter day a few years ago some fourteen vessels laden 
with coal were on their way to Maine when word was received 
that a big storm was coming. All the other captains ran into 
Vineyard Haven or other convenient harbors, but “Linc’^ Jewett, 
then master of the Charles P. Notman, kept right on. The owners 
of the ship when reading the reports of arrivals at the several ports 
noted the following; “Passed schooner Charles P. Notman, Jewett, 
Newport News to Portland,” and they began to worry. The storm 
came on and continued and increased. The Charles P. Notman 
continued also and flew in past Portland Head. She looked so 
much like a towering, moving snowbank that the lighthouse keeper 
at first scarcely knew what he had seen; and when the ship came 
up the harbor, the few longshoremen who were about were too 
much astonished to believe their own senses. The vessel steered 

to the coal pockets and 
to complete the voyage 
in real good style. Cap¬ 
tain Jewett docked her 
without the assistance of 
a tug — “just brought 
her to and backed her 
right into her berth.” 

Across the river from 
Bath is Arrowsic, an 
island of goodly size 
and comely charm. To 
view its quiet, peace¬ 
ful acres, one never would suspect that it is one of the ancient 
habitations of Maine and has a stirring history. Arrowsic was 





COASTAL MAINE 


215 


selected by the Plymouth Colony for a station where trade with 
the Indians was carried on. As part of the town of Georgetown, 
this island was the seat of the first permanent settlement on the 
Kennebec and for some years was the chief center of that region. 
It had a block house, stocks, and a tithing man and under the 
leadership of Samuel Denny, for a long time the leading citizen 
of Georgetown, the government was very strict. One day a sailor 
was put into the stocks, presumably without deserving the punish¬ 
ment, and when the vessel in which he shipped cleared the harbor 
and sailed down the river, it bore away the offending stocks within 
the very sight of the helpless magistrate. In King Philip’s War 
the savages gained entrance to the garrison and the settlers were 
ousted with some loss of life. The island was deserted, all the 
buildings having been destroyed. At the close of the war the 
houses and mills were rebuilt, only to be swept away in William 
and Mary’s War. In a later war four hundred savages visited 
Arrowsic, but this time the settlers were garrisoned and prepared, 
and succeeded in driving away their unwelcome assailants. We 
can think of no other Maine island whose story is more exciting 
and filled with adventure and bloodshed; but who would think it 
as he looks on the peaceful, drowsy Arrowsic of to-day.i* 

To gain a true perspective of the coast country between the 
Kennebec and the Penobscot we must go back to its early history. 
No part of sea-stormed 
Maine now seems more 
restful than Pemaquid. 

Whitened with an abun¬ 
dance of daisies, the 
grass of a pleasant field 
nods lazily and slopes 
to the shore in gentle 
curves. The widening 
expanse of John’s Bay 
is blue and unruffled. 

The village-folk greet 
the stranger pleasantly and seem to be contented souls who do not 
rush through life in a hurry. Two miles eastward across the cape 
is another small village,—a typical fishing settlement with one of 
the narrowest, most sinuous harbors imaginable. Yet it is a port 



LOOKING TOWARDS PEMAQUID 

















A' -•<^-: 

k.r"^-y 


SURF AT PEMAQUID POINT 






COASTAL MAINE 


217 


of call for the local steamboats and fishermen. The place is called 
New Harbor, which sometime was appropriate enough, but now 
seems almost a misnomer inasmuch as the hamlet probably is three 
hundred years old. From Pemaquid village a narrow country 
road peopled by the families of occasional fishermen, threads the 



NEW HARBOR 

midrift of the cape to an exposed and battered summer colony and 
the lighthouse on rough old Pemaquid Point. Yes, life at Pema¬ 
quid is restful and quiet, but in the past all this region has echoed 
and re-echoed the thunder of cannon and has resounded again and 
again with the savage warwhoop and the wails of the wounded 
and dying. It has been the theater of intrigue and treachery and 
conflict. For many years the most eastern of the English colonies 
in New England, it was a natural arena of conflict. We have 
twice said that this country is restful and serene, but for all that 
it now seems as if all the storm and fury of the old time had been 
brought together and hurled against Pemaquid Point, where the 







218 


COASTAL MAINE 


ocean in all his mighty strength forever strives and rages in his 
war against the land. 

More of mystery and “bunk” has enshrouded the early story 
of this peninsula than has gathered about any other early plantation 
of Maine. Certain writers and enthusiasts not long ago gave rein 
to their imaginations and ingeniously and gravely massed the evi¬ 
dence to prove that Pemaquid had been the seat of an ancient 
kingdom in which a powerful Bashaba held court and ruled the 
Indian tribes. They also would lead us to suppose that in all 
probability the Spanish once held sway there. We have been told 
that a considerable part of the Popham colonists, instead of return¬ 
ing to England with the others, came to Pemaquid and settled. 



PEMAQUID POINT 


These assertions and others like them are disproved. When Cap¬ 
tain John Smith was exploring and mapping the coast in 1614 he 
found no European settlers. “There was not one Christian in 
all the land.” In 1622 Edward Winslow obtained a supply of 
food for the hungry Pilgrims, not from Pemaquid as has been 





COASTAL MAINE 


219 


stated by some, but from a number of fishing vessels that he found 
at Damariscove. The next year Levett while seeking a favorable 
site for his plantation reported that Pemaquid had been “taken 
up.” He does not indicate that any one had yet settled there. As 
a matter of fact Pemaquid doubtlessly was settled between 1622 
and 1625. In the latter year the first deed in America given by 
Indians was made at Pemaquid when Samoset and Unnonquoit 
sold John Brown the land comprising the present towns of Bristol, 
South Bristol, and Damariscotta. 

In 1631 the Pemaquid Grant, including the region between 
Muscongus Bay and the Damariscotta River, was bestowed upon 
Robert Aldsworth and Gyles Elbridge, and a small fortification 
and trading station was constructed. The next year an English 
captain, commonly called Dixey Bull, and his followers, all of 
whom had turned pirates, landed at Pemaquid and raided the 
stronghold and took away whatever they found. By the time the 
pirates were getting away from the landing, however, the villagers 
had been aroused and were out in force, and one of the principal 
outlaws was killed. The colonists scattered along the coast there¬ 
upon decided to clear the waters of such troublesome marauders 
and delegated to Neal of Piscataqua the business of patrolling the 
shores; but among so many passages and islands Bull was not so 
easily caught and probably he continued to flaunt the black flag 
in other places. At length he was captured by th«j French in the 
vicinity of the Penobscot and having been relieved of everything 
worth while, he was left to his fate. Finally he found his way 
to London and it is believed that in the old hanging place at 
Tyburn he gave his life in payment of his misdeeds. 

Although Pemaquid at first is said to have been inhabited by 
the “worst of men,” it steadily grew in population down to the 
time of King Philip’s War and from report was a busy settlement. 
All down through Maine history respectful consideration has been 
given to the statement that “in 1630 there were eighty-four fami¬ 
lies, besides fishermen, at Pemaquid, St. Georges and Sheepscot. 
But further examination of the work of the same writer makes it 
apparent that the number of families up to about 1660 were 
included in his count. 

Sometime in the development of Pemaquid a work was carried 
out that since has become the basis of much ill-advised speculation. 


220 


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Within the village rather more than thirty years ago there was 
unearthed a section of an old street, thirty-three feet in width and 
paved with flat stones, and parallel to it is a sidewalk of neatly laid 
round stones that were gathered from the beach. Recently a well 
planned system of excavation has laid bare more than a quarter of 

a mile of these ancient 
pavements. Years ago 
yet another piece of pav¬ 
ing was found near the 
sea front. The latter 
construction was about 
twelve feet wide and 
apparently built to ad¬ 
join some building on 
three sides. In one place 
PEMAQUID BEACH ^ depression was made 

to carry away the rain, and on another side the pavement ran up 
closely to a cellar wall. Within the bounds of the early settlements 
the location of seven blacksmiths’ forges have been determined, and 
in one spot the numerous fragments of clay tobacco pipes has led to 
the conjecture that a manufactory may have existed there. On the 
eastern side of the Little 
Pemaquid River there 
was a shipyard at some 
time and two miles above 
the village, on the larger 
river, an old canal which 
doubtlessly conveyed 
water to a mill is still 
traceable. 

As we have intimated, 
some writers have dwelt 
upon these relics of the past and have sought to connect them with 
an antiquity that could not have been. We opine that the pave¬ 
ments may have been laid in the prosperous days preceding the first 
war, or much more likely in 1692, when a costly fort of stone was 
erected. Nothing has been uncovered that suggests a mystery. The 
newly cleared land was soft and paving stones were placed to make 
a passable street into which teams would not sink. Likewise the 



PEMAQUID HARBOR 






COASTAL MAINE 


221 


sidewalk was made because the people of Pemaquid did not like to 
walk in the mud. What right have we to suppose that village 
improvement movements have been confined altogether to our own 
time? As regards the smiths’ forges, the shipyard, the mill, and 
the possible pipe factory, all would as likely, or more likely, belong 
to a later time. Whether they belonged to the former or later 
period, it does not seem strange that this isolated community, so 
largely dependent upon itself for everything it used, should set up 
forges and mills. 

The early community owed much to the guidance of Abraham 
Shute, “the father of American conveyancing,” who was a prudent 
and efficient counselor and for a long time the magistrate at Pema¬ 
quid. It would be interesting to know fully the lives of the people 
who established that remote settlement of the wilderness,—of their 
work, their privations, their amusements, and their lot in life, but 
unhappily nearly all vestiges of those matters were swept away by 
the tide of warfare that engulfed this little oasis of civilization. 

In 1664 the Duke of York (afterwards James II) was made 
viceroy of New England and under his agents a commission was 
sent to regulate the laws of Pemaquid. Quite likely this Royal 
Commission thought that it found affairs rather lax, for it reported 
that Pemaquid never had had any government. Straightway the 
region between the Kennebec and Penobscot was organized as the 
County of Cornwall, of which Pemaquid was made the capital 
and Sheepscot Plantation farther west was made the shire town. 
This form of government was not to the liking of the strong 
Massachusetts colony and in the course of subsequent events Corn¬ 
wall was annexed to the Bay Colony and changed in name to the 
County of Devonshire. 

In 1678 Sir Edmund Andros was appointed governor of New 
York and Sagadahoc. One of the first of his constructive acts 
was to erect at Pemaquid a strong redoubt of timber, which was 
well mounted with guns and protected by a garrison of soldiers. 
This new fort was named Fort Charles and took the place of the 
small stronghold which had been put up in 1631 and destroyed in 
King Philip’s War. According to a new set of laws Pemaquid was 
made the sole port of entry in this region. To insure protection 
from the Indians, no straggling farms were to be occupied, but the 
homes were to be grouped in villages of not less than thirty houses. 


222 


coastal MAINE 


No man was “to trust any Indians.” Only one dog was permitted 
to a family. All trade was to be carried on in the street leading 
from the shore to the fort “between sun and sun, for which the 
drum was to beat, or a bell to ring every morning and evening, and 
neither Indian nor Christian suffered to drink any strong drink, nor 
to lie ashore in the night.” Small vessels called bumboats, trading 
from port to port in ammunition, guns, and clothing as well as in 
“liqours or wine, Rumm, Beer, Suder” and the like, were brought 
under decent regulation. For the promotion of piety in the colony, 
prayers were to be read by a man appointed for the duty. 

After so long a period of free and easy customs possibly the 
people of Pemaquid thought this new code bespoke too much gov¬ 
ernment. However that may have been, they never took kindly to 
the regulations laid upon them and like a crowd of unruly school¬ 
boys, they delighted more to disregard the laws in question than to 
obey them. Nevertheless the rulings in the main seem wise. We 
are led to believe that if Sir Edmund’s dicta had had time to work 
out fully, they would have enhanced the standing of the colony. 

In 1687 Andros was made governor of New England, and the 
next spring, powdered and bewigged and curled he made a tour 
along the eastern coast. He stopped at Pemaquid and then pro¬ 
ceeded to Castine and carried away the Baron’s store of goods. 
As wc already have related, this high-handed act on the part of the 
governor incensed Castin and very likely precipitated a new Indian 
war within three months. Among many other events in the sum¬ 
mer a band of warriors lurked about Pemaquid and intercepting one 
of the colonists, learned that at that particular time fourteen men 
of the village were working on the farms two or three miles up the 
river. In the village were the women and children. Never could 
the savages have found the colony in a more divided and helpless 
condition. The redmen quickly separated into two divisions, one 
of which they threw between the farms and the village, the other 
between the village and the fort. At noonday the slaughter began. 
Forty Indians led by Moxus fired on the unsuspecting farmers. 
Those who were not killed immediately ran towards the fort only 
to find themselves cut off, and in the end nearly all perished or 
were captured. Meantime the wily foes were turning their efforts 
against the garrison in Fort Charles. They entered the houses 
along the street leading to the fort and fired at every person rash 


COASTAL MAINE 


223 


enough to expose himself, and some of the savages, protected by a 
high rock, were near enough to the gunners within the stronghold 
to drive them from their positions. The garrison held out two 
days. Weems, the commander, was injured painfully and half of 
the men were more or less hurt. The situation was so hapless that 
Captain Weems felt compelled to give up the garrison; but before 
doing so he succeeded in making the stipulation that his force 
should go out unharmed. Many of the settlers outside had lost 
their lives and the others were to be led away into captivity or to 
die of torture. With the fall and destruction of Fort Charles, 
the country east of the Kennebec was deserted by the English and 
not resettled for nearly thirty years. 

In 1692 Sir William Phips, the royal governor of Massachu¬ 
setts, determined to build an impregnable stronghold on the site of 
the destroyed forts at Pemaquid, and coming from Boston with 
four hundred and fifty 
men, he personally su¬ 
perintended the work 
and gave it the name 
of Fort William Henry. 

The fortification cost 
£20,000. Cotton Ma¬ 
ther who appears to have 
taken a great interest in 
the project wrote the 
following quaint de¬ 
scription: “William 

Henry was built of 
stone in a quadrangular figure, being about 737 foot in compass 
without the walls, 108 foot square, within the inner ones. Twenty 
eight portholes it had, and fourteen (if not eighteen) guns mounted, 
whereof 6 were eighteen pounders. The wall on the side fronting 
the sea was twenty-two foot high, and more than six foot thick 
at the ports, which were eight foot from the ground. The greater 
flanker, or round tower, at the western end of this line, was 
twenty-nine foot high, on the north side it was ten, and on the 
west side it was eighteen.” 

The fortress was garrisoned with sixty men, and Mather boasted 
that it was the finest fort in these parts of America. We may 



RESTORED TOWER OF FORT WILLIAM 
HENRY 




224 


COASTAL MAINE 


well believe his statement. But strong as it was, and although it 
had been constructed at great pains and expense, Fort William 
Henry was in an exposed position. The test of its worth was to 
come soon. In fact, de Iberville thought to take it the next autumn, 
but perceiving its strength he gave up the project for the time. 
In the winter of 1696 the chieftains Egeremet, Toxus, and Aben- 
quid with a few followers came to Pemaquid to arrange an ex¬ 
change of prisoners. By the order of Captain Chubb, the com¬ 
mander, the Indians were fallen upon treacherously so that without 
warning several of them were killed and another was captured and 
put in chains. Others managed to escape. 

This reprehensible act of Chubb was not forgotten. The next 
July de Iberville came against Pemaquid with three armed vessels, 
two companies of French soldiers, and two hundred and fifty 
Tarrantines in canoes. Castin and the Jesuits Bigot and Thury 
were among the number. De Iberville landed his forces in the 
night and by great exertion, Castin and the two priests and their 
Indians working lustily with the others, we doubt not, some mor¬ 
tars and heavy guns were brought ashore and by the middle of the 
next afternoon were put in a position whence projectiles could be 
thrown into the fort. The French had formally demanded the sur¬ 
render of the stronghold and now they supplemented the demand by 
a few bombshells thrown against it. This method of attack at that 
time was new and unexpected and Captain Chubb, not as bold in 
defense as he had been in falling upon defenseless Indians, was 
thoroughly frightened and quickly agreed to surrender upon the 
condition that protection should be given the garrison. It was 
well that de Iberville carried out the compact without delay and 
hustled the English out into the harbor; for when the redskins 
had entered the fort, they found the unfortunate captive of the 
previous winter emaciated and still in chains, and the thought of 
the murdered sagamores came back and the anger aroused in them 
knew no bounds. Had the garrison soldiers been within their 
reach then, probably not one would have escaped. 

The guns from the proud fort, so ignominiously surrendered, 
were taken aboard the ships and the small arms were distributed 
among the savages. Two days were occupied in destroying the 
hated walls and then the squadron bore the spoil to Quebec. Thus 
fell the fortress builded by Sir William Phips. For the third 


COASTAL MAINE 


225 


time Pemaquid was swept from existence and for more than twenty 
years remained unpeopled amidst *^the melancholy ruins of great 
labor and expense.” 

In time, however, the province recuperated from the devastation 
of war and again the waves of colonization swept eastward. One 
more fortification was to be erected on the historic site at Pema¬ 
quid. Under the lead of Colonel Dunbar, Fort Frederick arose 
above the former ruins. Trade and the cultivation of the soil 
were resumed and the colony began to recover some of the strength 
of old times. Come what would, the last fierce onslaught of the 
lurking savage was passed. Fort Frederick stood until the begin¬ 
ning of the Revolution when the men of Bristol, fearing it would 
pass into the hands of the British, leveled it with the ground. 

After many years the people of Pemaquid again were called to 
arms and for the last time, we may hope, the shores echoed the 
din of war. During the struggle of 1812 a British frigate came 
into the bay and put off a barge, well manned, which set out for 
the shore. The armed residents of New Harbor and Pemaquid 
through their chosen spokesman, an old fisherman, warned the 
intruders not to land. 

“If a single gun is fired,” shouted the English captain, “the 
town shall be destroyed.” 

A volley, well aimed and deadly, was the reply and the captain’s 
barge helplessly drifted out with the tide. 

Nearly a century elapsed and the history enacted about Pemaquid 
Rock was unrecognized and almost forgotten. The hamlet was 
counted a quiet fishing hamlet and nothing more. It was only 
now and then that a nosey stranger intruded and curiously eyed 
the tracing of the demolished fort. Finally people began to be 
more inquisitive and ere long the story of famous old Pemaquid 
was noised abroad once more. The State of Maine gave money 
to reconstruct the old castle, or round tower, at the western corner 
of Fort William Henry. As far as possible the old material, even, 
was utilized in the rebuilding and to-day the visitor sees the coun¬ 
terpart of this part of the old stronghold; but from the tower 
where floated the cross of St. George there are now flung the stars 
and stripes. 

As we linger in the subtile spell of this ancient village and think 
of the work that those old settlers did for us of later generations,. 


9 


226 


COASTAL MAINE 


we naturally recall the story of Sir William Phips, the first distin¬ 
guished man from Maine and indeed one of the most interesting 
of all who are listed on her roll of fame. 

In the very early days of the Pemaquid colony a gunsmith, named 
Phips, and his wife came from England and established themselves 
in the settlement. Both were poor and little educated. What 
shift they made at Pemaquid we do not know, but as colonization 
extended towards Sheepscot Farms, Phips with his family removed 
to a small peninsula, now called Phips Point, in the present town 

of Woolwich. In this 
“dispicable plantation” 
in the year 1650 Wil¬ 
liam Phips was born. 
He was one of a family 
of “no less than twenty- 
six children, whereof 
twenty-one were sons, 
but equivalent to them 
all was William, one 
of the youngest, whom 
his father, dying, left 
young with his mother, 
and with her he lived, 
‘keeping sheep in the wilderness,’ until he was eighteen years old.” 
While helping his mother the boy’s advantages were so meager 
that he did not even learn to read and write. At the age of 
eighteen he began to apply himself to the shipbuilders’ trade. 
Phips afterwards went to Boston where he married a widow of 
some small means who was older than he and far above him in 
station. Mrs. Phips, also a native of the Province of Maine, 
exerted a helpful influence over her husband and instructed him 
in the rudiments of education which perhaps he learned none too 
readily. Phips soon lost the little money acquired by his marriage 
and he and his wife were very poor; the young man’s ambition, 
however, was aroused and his courage often prompted him to tell 
Mrs. Phips that some day he would be the master of a king’s ship 
and own a house in the fair Green Lane of Boston. 

Phips lived in an age of adventure, and hearing of a Spanish 
ship laden with riches which had been wrecked fifty years before 



PHIPS POINT, WOOLWICH 




COx^STAL MAINE 


227 


in the Bahamas, he made a voyage thither to find and recover the 
sunken treasure. His success in the undertaking was only success¬ 
ful enough to take him to England where he found the oppor¬ 
tunity to present his hopes and plans of recovering the riches of 
another lost ship of which he had heard to the court at Whitehall 
so effectively that the king was induced to put him in command 
of a frigate of the royal navy, a regular “king’s ship” carrying 
eighteen guns and ninety-five men. Thus equipped. Captain Phips 
conducted a long and weary search for the lost ship’s “mighty 
treasure,” but never with success. Once his crew with drawn 
swords met him on the quarter deck and demanded that he should 
turn pirate with them and sail to the South Seas. The dauntless 
captain, tall and powerful and angry, fell upon the men with his 
bare fist and felled some “and quelled all the rest.” Again his 
crew planned to seize the ship, maroon the captain, and engage in 
piracy on their own account. At this time it happened that the 
mutineers had landed on an island and Captain Phips, having been 
apprised of their intentions by the ship’s carpenter, trained his guns 
against them till they were ready to promise their submission. He 
lost no time however in proceeding to Jamaica where he discharged 
his mutinous crew and engaged better men. 

At length it was necessary to sail to England. King James II 
was in the midst of so many troubles that he could not see his way 
to give further aid to what had proved to be an unsuccessful quest, 
but Phips was able to interest the Duke of Albemarle and other 
noblemen in his project and was giren another ship in which to 
continue the search. When he had arqved at Hispaniola near 
where the Spanish galleon was supposed to lie, Phips landed and 
with adz in hand he helped his men form a small boat which 
could be rowed close to the hidden reefs. In this little dugout, 
or canoe, the fortune-seeker with a few of his crew was wont to 
move back and forth, gazing intently down into the water all the 
while. No remains of the lost vessel could be found, nor any¬ 
thing learned which gave the slightest clue of its resting place. 
It seemed that this voyage, too, would end in failure. After many 
days Phips was almost ready to give up the search. It chanced 
however that one afternoon some of his men while out in the 
small boat noticed a peculiar “sea-feather” growing out from 
among the rocks and directed the diver to go down and bring it 


228 


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up. When he came back into the boat he said that some big guns 
were lying among the rocks and it was realized that the sunken 
galleon had been found. Going down again the diver found a 
silver sow worth at least £200. Then the men buoyed the place 
and hurried away to find Captain Phips. Day after day riches 
were brought from the depths. Gold, pearls, and jewels, and 

thirty-four tons of silver were 
stowed away until the ship 
could hold no more. The re¬ 
covered treasure amounted to 
fully $1,350,000 of our money 
of the present day and from 
his share Phips saved about 
$70,000, a considerable sum 
for a new-world resident in 
those times. In recognition of 
so signal an exploit the adven¬ 
turous captain was knighted by 
the king and urged to take a 
command in the royal navy. 
His tenacious love for New 
England asserted itself and 
turning a deaf ear to proffered 
advancement he returned to 
get the remainder of the 
wealth of the Spanish ship. When at length he went back to Boston, 
he bore the commission of high sheriff of New England, an honor 
he did not retain because of lack of agreement with Governor 
Andros’ measures. He now fulfilled the promise that he had made 
to his wife and settled in a home in the fair Green Lane of Boston. 

In 1690 Sir William was called to command a colonial expe¬ 
dition against Port Royal. The French fortress yielded without 
a struggle. Phips returned by the way of the Maine coast, taking 
possession of the French trading posts as he came along. The 
success of the undertaking was most gratifying to the authorities 
at Boston and Sir William was chosen to carry out an expedition 
which had been projected against Quebec the same summer. 

In command of a fleet of thirty-four vessels and two thousand 
men Phips was sent to capture and reduce the most powerful and 







COASTAL MAINE 


229 


inaccessible of new-world fortresses, while Winthrop of Con¬ 
necticut started overland with a force to attack Montreal. When 
in early October the squadron appeared before the walled city and 
the impetuous knight pitted himself against the cool, crafty Fron- 
tenac, he found more than his match. Phips straightway demanded 
the surrender of the stronghold. His messenger was blindfolded 
first, then led by a circuitous route, and afterwards abashed by the 
severe and courtly council into which he was ushered. Phips’ 
position was ridiculed, and bearing a reply which was contemptuous, 
to say the least, the messenger was returned to his commander. 
Noise and bluster could avail nothing. Had Sir William launched 
his attack at first with all his might, possibly he would have suc¬ 
ceeded, for in spite of the bold front of the Frenchmen, their 
position was none too secure; but he delayed, waiting for Win- 
throp’s forces, that never came nearer than Lake Champlain, to 
attack Montreal and thus draw some of the French soldiers from 
Quebec. When he finally did make the attack the English colo¬ 
nists fought vigorously and valiantly enough, but they contended 
in vain. Moreover the time had come when the ships must get 
out of the river or become ice-bound. In the return voyage a 
tempest scattered the fleet and destroyed some of the ships and the 
others found their way to Boston one by one. In this unfortunate 
adventure three hundred colonists perished, nine vessels were lost, 
and £40,000 was expended to no purpose. 

The following winter Sir William took passage to England and 
through the influence of Reverend Increase Mather, was appointed 
the first royal governor of Massachusetts, including Maine and 
Sagadahoc to the St. Croix. Although his early advantages had 
been limited, yet through the aid of his sensible wife and his own 
patriotic and honest impulses, Phips in most respects made a good 
governor and in all respects an interesting one. For a man of 
his time he was liberal and sensible in religious matters and he 
used his power in finally putting an end to the Salem witchcraft 
persecution. “It must fall,” he said, and that was the last of it. 
Imbued with the spirit of a soldier, he put the colony in an excel¬ 
lent state of defense and the erection of Fort William Henry 
bears witness that he did not forget the province of his birth. In 
character he was energetic, persevering, and strong; in manner he 
was bluff and prompt. At times, according to his historians, he 


230 


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yielded “to his abolitions of temper.” If hasty and rash, he also 
was generous and forgiving. It used to be said that he was more 
ready to serve New England than to serve himself, and his refusal 
to enter the royal service gives color to the saying. 

On one of his expeditions when near the Kennebec, he called 
his men and said: “Young gentlemen, it was upon that hill I kept 
sheep a few years ago, and some of you see that Almighty God 
has brought me to something. Do you learn to fear God, to be 
honest, and to mind your business, and follow no bad courses and 
you don’t know what you may come to.” Parkman censures 
Phips for having made the foregoing speech; rather should we 
honor the man who was mindful of his frontier birthplace and 
who had the qualities to rise above adverse conditions. Granted 
that his address to his followers was too egotistical, yet it was 
thoroughly wholesome and sensible. Writers like Parkman and 
others who have belittled this sturdy plebeian knight, although they 
possessed literary talents, were not men who could quell armed 
mutineers, or command military expeditions, or rule states, or 
silence a delusion like withcraft when the majority of the people, 
led by the clergy and judges, honestly thought that “the devil was 
let loose upon them.” 

While engaged with the duties of his office Governor Phips, 
provoked to rage, fisted Brenton, a collector of customs at Boston, 
and again he caned Captain Chub of the royal navy. He was 
called to London to answer for these indiscretions and while there 
was stricken with a fever and died. Thus at the age of forty- 
four years terminated the strenuous life of William Phips who 
was born in the “dispicable” settlement of Woolwich and given 
burial such as befitted a knight in the church of St. Mary’s, 
Woolnoth, London. 

Near the head of navigation on the Sheepscot, the river widens 
into a lakelike harbor so conspicuous for its beauty and utility that 
more than a century ago a United States surveying commission 
strongly recommended the establishment of a navy yard there. 
To-day a long bridge—the longest in Maine—crosses the upper 
harbor and joins Wiscasset village and the town of Edgecomb. 
This region was settled very early. On the Newcastle and Edge- 
comb side of the river the Sheepscot Farms, so productive as to 
have been termed the “Garden of the East,” were founded before 


COASTAL MAINE 


231 


the time of Sir William Phips. Little enough is known about 
those pioneer settlements, although the evidence indicates that they 
were of considerable extent. Generally speaking, this locality 
shared the same reverses 
as Pemaquid, to which 
it sometimes was linked 
in government. 

After Wiscasset was 
permanently resettled, in 
1710, it grew rapidly 
and for a hundred years 
was one of the most 
prominent centers in 
Maine. There is a story 
that had the unfortunate 
Marie Antoinette escaped from France, she would have landed at 
this port, and she might have spent her last years here. Stephen 
Clough, a Wiscasset sea captain, chanced to be with his vessel in 
the Seine in the terrible days of the French Revolution. His sym¬ 
pathy for the queen was too strong for repression, and together 
with Bennete Claude de St. Pry, a trusted official of Lyons, he 
formed a plan for rescuing her and taking her to America. He 

sent a letter to his wife at home to make preparations for their 

royal guest and his ship was secretly fitted with some of the furnish¬ 
ings of the royal palace 
to make the passage as 
pleasant as possible for 
Marie and her attend¬ 
ants. Insuperable diffi¬ 
culties frustrated the 

plan and Captain 
Clough sailed without 
the queen, but it is said 
that some of the dif¬ 
ferent pieces of the 
royal furnishings and 
wardrobe that he bore away are still preserved as relics among the 
families of this coast town, and the Clough residence across the 
bridge in Edgecomb still stands and is called the Marie Antoinette 



Photo by Labbie*s Picture Shop, Boothbay Harbor 
MARIE ANTOINETTE HOUSE 









232 


COASTAL MAINE 




house. When Talleyrand and Louis Philippe were compelled to 
leave France, they first trod American soil at Wiscasset. For years 
shipping flourished around this port and the splendid, solid old man¬ 
sions which then arose 
now attest the former 
wealth of the town. 
The embargo of 1807, 
however, and the War 
of 1812 dealt powerful 
blows from which the 
industries of the place 
never recovered fully 
and the wharves and 


Photo by Labble*s Picture Shop, Boothbay Harbor 
THE GOVERNOR SMITH HOUSE 


the life of Wiscasset 
gradually decayed to¬ 
gether. For another 
century it continued to be a port of customs entry, but in recent 
times that office has been abolished. 

One governor of the State and four congressmen have been 
called from Wiscasset. Standing on an island in the harbor is 
Fort Edgecomb, one of the very few unchanged blockhouses extant 
in New England; and in the village is a powder house that hearkens 
back to Revolutionary days. There also is a library, still function¬ 
ing, that was founded 


in 1799. The county 
jail, located here, be¬ 
longs to a past age. An 
inspector’s report says: 

“It would seem from 
appearances, protected 
by the present law 
against modern and hu¬ 
mane ideas, that the old 
stone jail at Wiscasset, 
sturdy relic of an earlier fort edgecomb 

century, bids fair to 

weather the storms of another hundred years. Backed by the 
kindred sentiment of the county, this grim old Bastile will doubt¬ 
lessly continue in the future as in the past, to bid defiance to the 






COASTAL MAINE 


233 


advance of civilization. It stands by itself and has no equal as 
an antique.” 

In 1820 Wiscasset was considered for the site of the State cap¬ 
ital. It lost the prize as it lost the proposed navy yard, but the 
history of the town is not yet completed. The early inhabitants 
believed a great city would grow up there, and now occasionally 
we hear rumors of its proposed development as a railroad terminal. 
With the increasing development and peopling of New England, 
so long as shipping continues Wiscasset and its unusual advantages 
will not be forgotten. Incidentally with the progress of Maine 
the old-time prosperity of the port will come back and eclipse all 
that has gone before. 

The beauty of the river approaches to Wiscasset is long to be 
remembered, but the subtility of the courses beyond navigation is 
finer still. From the Wiscasset bridge to Aina, four miles up the 
river, the waters ex¬ 
tend in a multiplicity 
of divisions and reaches 
whose undisturbed sur¬ 
faces gleam through 
the forest branches and 
between the fields and 
present a scene of rural 
peace and delightful¬ 
ness. Here is happiness 
for one who revels in 
idealism, or in sooth¬ 
ing restfulness for tired 
minds. The setting 
among the hills of the obscure little village of Aina, little heralded 
and little known, and the tall-spired, weatherbeaten church, and 
the placid river form a grouping in the mind that is not dispelled 
by the cares of the on-rushing years. 

An old church at Aina, built in 1789, is held to be the best 
specimen of the early type of New England meeting houses to be 
found in the State to-day. 

Important in the annals of this broken coastal-river country are 
the twin towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle situated on the 
opposite sides of the Damariscotta River at its head of navigation. 



THE NARROWS (nEAR WISCASSET) 







234 


COASTAL MAINE 


Formerly lumber mills were located here and for a time New¬ 
castle was the base from which madcap Vaughn conducted his 
trading and shipping ventures. The early history was not espe¬ 
cially eventful. Several times the settlements were abandoned 
in the Indian wars, but they finally attained the prosperity that 
used to be so general in the coast towns. Through the years 
these two centers have managed to maintain considerable of their 
former prestige. Nowhere in Maine are the houses more neat 
and trim than the white, spic-span dwellings of Damariscotta 
and Newcastle. The solid line of old brick stores adown the 
main business street of the former village cannot be duplicated 
in the Pine Tree State. The shops are good and so is business 
apparently; but the hum of active hustle and enterprise is not 
there. 

Towards the close of the eighteenth century a group of Irish 
pioneers added themselves to the settlement at Damariscotta and 

formed the nucleus of the first 
permanent Catholic parish in 
Maine, and indeed the second 
in New England. Hither came 
the kindly and lovable Chev- 
erus, afterwards the distin¬ 
guished Cardinal Cheverus, 
Archbishop of Bordeaux. It 
is said that one day he heard 
some Indians of the vicinity 
singing a chant that had been 
taught them years before, and 
when they saw the priest in his 
black gown, they ran to him 
with delight and begged him 
to establish a place of worship 
there. Be that as it may. 
Father Cheverus preached in 
one of the settler’s barns and 
celebrated mass in the adjoin¬ 
ing dwelling. The next year a store was fitted and adapted to 
religious services and used until the erection of St. Patrick’s church 
which was dedicated in 1807. About fifteen years later another 



sT. Patrick’s church 




COASTAL MAINE 


235 


Catholic church was built in Whitefield, some seventeen miles 
away. The Damariscotta parish was influential in securing ameli¬ 
orations in the laws which at that time were very severe towards 
Catholics. One of the descendants of this Irish colony, Edward 
Kavanaugh, of Newcastle, became a congressman and governor of 
Maine. He was one of Longfellow’s closest friends and much 
of his spirit is supposed to be woven into the poet’s novel entitled 
Kavanaugh; but unlike the principal character of the story, Kava¬ 
naugh held the religious faith of his boyhood to the end. 

In the Civil War Damariscotta gave to the Northern army 
General James A. Hall, a veteran of many battles who won especial 
distinction on the field of Gettysburg. To Hall’s Battery and the 
Sixteenth Maine Infantry was assigned the task of covering the 
withdrawal of some of the Federal troops in the battle of the first 
day. The Sixteenth Maine lost in killed and wounded all but 
thirty-six of its men and officers, and Hall’s Battery suffered a like 
depletion almost as severe; but the withdrawing of the troops was 
aided by the stand of the heroes of these two Maine units. 

A half mile above the villages on either side of the river are 
extensive piles of oyster shells whose origin in a sense is prehistoric. 
Nobody can tell when the shells 
were placed there, nor with 
certainty, by whom. Several 
large rounded mounds and 
many smaller ones are seen 
plainly to-day. In one place 
a few years ago the accumu¬ 
lation of shells was thirty-one 
feet in thickness. Thousands 
and thousands of cubic feet 
of shells are heaped along the 
river banks. Remains of fires 
and bones of the common 
animals and human skeletons, 
even, are found in this old 
midden. The bivalves themselves must have been of a large order, 
since shells ten inches in length are very common, and in a good 
state of preservation. We could well wish that this supply of 
shell fish had lasted until our time. Formerly the river-beds in 




236 


COASTAL MAINE 


this region must have been prolific with oysters. Josselyn stated, 
truthfully or otherwise, that at Black Point were oysters nine 
inches long that had to be cut into three pieces to be eaten. At 
Aina, on the Sheepscot, not five miles away from Damariscotta, 
oysters of the finest quality are found to-day. 

It seems most likely that these old shell heaps were ages in gath¬ 
ering and were formed by the Indians. Here was a rendezvous 
of the redmen and summer after summer, generation after gen¬ 
eration, they met and gathered the luscious mollusks from nature’s 
generous store and flung the shells upon the ever increasing piles. 

How we would like to look back to this place in those former 
days of activity! Would that we could view those tawny-hued 
people, unquestioned lords of the forest and river, as they were 
wont to steal silently from the stately trees, or to pull up their 
canoes on these favoring shores amidst the fires pointing heaven¬ 
ward and the accumulated heaps of this great kitchen midden. 
To-day the scene is hushed save for the occasional flapping of a 
heron, or the cry of a wheeling gull. Imagine how these same 
river terraces have cast their shadows on the simple children of 
the lake and wood in an age of which we have no record. What 
scenes of convivial life, of jealous intrigue, and of soul-compelling 
love were enacted in the numerous lives assembled here! Were 
there only some chain that linked their time to ours! The same 

river ebbs and fills be¬ 
tween the hills and it 
knows all the long story 
of the past; but it whis¬ 
pers not and guards its 
secret well. 

In its most popular 
conception the Dama¬ 
riscotta is a beautiful 
tidal river, a river of 
legend and charm and 
of a lost history, and 
little more. This is only 
half of the truth. The Damariscotta comprises a clearly defined 
water system. Above the falls is a lake extending far back into 
the country where it is fed by the brooks and creeks of Jefferson. 





COASTAL MAINE 


237 




This part of the system is as captivating, perhaps, as its lower 
course. In fact, if Damariscotta Lake is little known, it is not 
for lack of individuality and natural charm. We believe that 
the city folks who have 
discovered this locality 
and the severely respect¬ 
able village at the head 
of the lake have not 
been anxious to herald 
the beauty of this in¬ 
land valley. 

The translation o f 
the name Damariscotta 
from the old Canibas 
tongue is alewive place, 
or alewive stream, and well does this river deserve the name. 
Every spring alewives are netted in large quantities in their up¬ 
ward migration, and at the falls where the fish mass in solid 
ranks, preparatory to shooting the sixty feet of down-falling water 
and gaining the lake above, many thousands are captured in a 
single day. 

The well known part of the Damariscotta is the much traveled 
portion from Damariscotta village to the river’s mouth. At first 

the shores are bordered 


ALEWIVE FISHING 


by attractive farms, but 
the course soon broad¬ 
ens, to be studded in 
some places with small 
islands, in others to 
spread out in graceful 
curves among the hills. 

Beside a sheltered 
cove in its lower course 
is East Boothbay, long 
noted for its shipyards 
and later as the leading 
center in the State for 
the building of yachts and the latest types of power boats. Other 
coast towns have yielded their handicraft, but this little village on 


Photo by Lindsay, Damariscotta 
DAMARISCOTTA RIVER 





238 


COASTAL MAINE 


the Damariscotta in spite of the changes of the years and an 
inflowing tide of tourists, has hung tenaciously to its old love 

and adapted itself to the 
rapidly changing de¬ 
demands. Merrily and 
profitably, too, ring the 
hammers of the boat 
builders of East Booth- 
bay. 

In this village and in 
South Bristol, a mile 
away on the opposite 
side of the river. Old 
Glory waves in the 
breezes of July over the 
summer home of many a resident and in places the terraces and 
hills are filled with cottages. On the Bristol shore, almost down 
to where the river joins the ocean, is the octopus-shaped harbor of 



A GLIMPSE OF EAST BOOTH BAY 



SOUIH BRISTOL 











COASTAL MAINE 


239 


Christmas Cove whose arms extend back into the dark woods; but 
it is the loveliness of the place rather than the gigantic tentacles 
that holds a populous colony here through the heat of summer. 
In the middle of the course just outside the mouth of the river 
is Inner Heron Island, 
symmetrically rounded 
and covered with cot¬ 
tages and hotels. On 
one side is a hidden reef 
over which the white 
surf rises and falls and 
which very appropri¬ 
ately is called the Wash- 
boiler. A short way be¬ 
yond are the isles that 
old salts have named 
the Hypocrites. On the 
other side extending outward from the rugged extremes of Christ¬ 
mas Cove is little Thrumcap, beyond which is thrown far seaward 
without any thought or regard for caution, a narrow line of ledges 
bearing the suggestive name of Thread of Life. These desolate 
rocks never fail to call sinister thoughts to the minds of sea¬ 
farers. Many are the 
lives that have perished, 
many the gallant barks 
that have struck and 
gone to pieces there. 

Christmas Cove looks 
out to the Dame rill 
Isles and the southwest¬ 
ern sea. When the 
traveler views this ex¬ 
posed and broken archi¬ 
pelago subjected to all 
the wild assaults of the 
ocean, he realizes that he has set his foot into a country with which 
the crescent beaches of southwestern Maine are mild indeed. 

Most historic of all these islands is the long, bow-shaped stretch 
of land, now bleak and barren, that is known as Damariscove. 




CHRISTMAS COVE 







240 


COASTAL MAINE 


It is one of the outlying islands of the group, and affording a safe 
and tolerable harbor, as it did, it was easily accessible to the ships 
that came early to these shores and was exploited as a fishing station, 
together with Monhegan and Pemaquid. In later years it some¬ 
times afforded an asylum from the savages. There is no doubt 
that it is one of the earliest inhabited localities in our State, and 
its present treeless aspect attests some of the labor of former years. 
Nearly three centuries ago fifteen families lived on Damariscove. 
Now its population has dwindled away, its business has gone, its 
prestige long since has passed by. The crew at the life-saving 
station, with the exception of one resident, now comprises the entire 
permanent population. 

Around the tip of the cape on the Boothbay side, near Inner 
Heron, is Ocean Point, situated at the extreme end of a long 

peninsula. Here all the 
attractions of the islands 
and the conveniences of 
the mainland are com¬ 
bined. The big surges 
roll in with every storm 
and the environment is 
tremendous and 
Impelled by the beauty 
and wild strength of 
this place, people of our 
own State were quick to 
establish their summer homes here before the spot should be pre¬ 
empted by the on-coming invasion of Massachusetts and the West. 
From the days when the delicate wild peas bloom in June to the 
time when the bright red seed-bulbs of the wild rose shatter in the 
autumn, the ocean environs, however winsome and gentle, however 
terrific and irrepressible, are never twice the same. 

Among the numerous arms of the sea in this vicinity is one on 
the western side of the peninsula to which we have just alluded. 
In the days when the menhaden industry was at its height this was 
a favorite location for factories wherein the oil of the fish was 
extracted. Many were the fishing steamers that plowed up the 
bay while the folks on shore, whether it were day or night, listened 
to the blasts of the whistles, one for each one hundred barrels of 



OCEAN POINT 




COASTAL MAINE 


241 


fish. But Linnekin Bay was smiling and fair and the summer 
invasion came. From that time came relentless war between the 
cottagers and the promoters of the ill-smelling factories. Column 
after column filled the local newspaper in the discussion of the 
pros and cons of the situation. The oil-extracting business ran 
well up into the millions and was not easy to dislodge. The fickle 
pogies, however, settled the question by suddenly migrating to 
southern waters. Soon afterwards the factories were pulled down 
and more cottages went up and the popularity of the bay was more 
marked than ever. At the head of this body of water the summer 
hamlets of Paradise, Murray Hill, and Bayville nestle between the 
sea and the evergreen forest, and along the shore of the peninsula 
extends the long drawn-out village of Linnekin, half made up of 
city sojourners, half of fisher folks. Fisher folks they will remain 
to the end, for our true-born fisherman becomes wedded to his 
calling and to his fish houses until they become as necessary to his 
being as banking houses are to our Drexels and Morgans, or the 
French court was to Sully and Richelieu. 

The metropolis of all this region is Boothbay Harbor, locally 
called “The Harbor,” and formerly known as Townshend. The 
town’s earliest life was uneventful and of little moment up to 1668 
when on account of the Indians all the inhabitants were compelled 
to flee. Some sixty years later all this locality embracing Pemaquid, 
Damariscotta, Newcastle, and more, was granted by George II to 
David Dunbar, a man 
of energy, ability, and 
withal somewhat of 
a schemer. Dunbar 
planned to establish four 
towns, two on each side 
of the Damariscotta 
River. He was bound 
to settle his domains 
with good and indus¬ 
trious Protestants, and 
as a matter of fact did 
induce one hundred and 

fifty families of substantial Scotch-Irish people to locate in what now 
makes up the Boothbays and adjacent territory. He surveyed tracts 



BOOTHBAY HARBOR 




242 


COASTAL MAINE 


of land at Townshend and on account of the harbor, one of the best 
in “hundred-harbored Maine,” he took a special fancy to the place 
and determined to rear a city there. Although he performed a val¬ 
uable service in introducing settlers of sterling worth, nevertheless 
Dunbar caused a great deal of trouble. He refused to recognize 
the validity of titles already established under the patent in force 
when he came and certain deeds which had been made by the 
Indians. Naturally the people who already were well established 
under the Massachusetts government refused to yield their rights, 
although their buildings were burned and they were driven from 
their lands. After a few years so much trouble arose that Dunbar 
was sent to New Hampshire to act as lieutenant governor and the 
grant which had been made to him was set aside; but the confusion, 
injustice, and litigation which it caused was a serious matter and 
many long years passed before all tangles were cleared away. Dun¬ 
bar came back and lived for a time at Damariscotta Mills, whence 

he returned to England 
and was appointed gov¬ 
ernor of St. Helena. 

The present town of 
Boothbay Harbor is well 
filled and prosperous 
and a calling place of 
several steamship lines. 
In the summer the 
streets are thronged with 
visitors and in general 
the village assumes the 
aspects of a watering 
place. There is the East Side and the West Side and the West 
Harbor in true city nomenclature, if you please. Often the 
thoroughfares are irregular with unexpected turns and elbows, and 
until recently were paralleled with plank sidewalks, all of which 
accords with the tenor of an eastern coast town. At all seasons 
the harbor is more or less filled with vessels and in summer pleasure 
boats of every description abound. There is the palatial yacht 
anchored in the harbor and the swift little motor boats are tied up 
at the floats. Indeed, this entire Boothbay section is an enthusiastic 
boating center. Days and evenings the Damariscotta between East 



A WHARF SCENE AT BOOTHBAY HARBOR 





COASTAL MAINE 


243 


Boothbay and Bristol is enlivened by the many small craft that 
cross each other’s wakes and skip along merrily and happily wher¬ 
ever they listeth. At Boothbay Harbor the same pastime is being 
enacted and in the adjacent 
waters among the islands as 
far as Bath the routes of travel 
are swarming with motor boats. 

The general interest in boat¬ 
ing, coupled with the rugged 
beauty of the coast and the 
bracing sea air, so many an 
enthusiast will tell you, gives 
a person the best sport in the 
world. As a corollary to its 
location, we suppose, Boothbay 
Harbor is the leading yacht center of Maine. The local club 
numbers approximately two hundred members and enjoys friendly 
relations as well as rivalries with kindred organizations along the 
coast, and is visited yearly by the leading yacht clubs as they cruise 
this way. 

Every year there is a regatta at Boothbay Harbor in which the 
different enthusiasts of the boating fraternity gather to prove the 
worth of their favorite boats of all sorts and classes. Amid the 
bright coloring and animation of it all, it would seem that all the 
social life for miles around had moved out into the harbor to view 
the races. Motor craft of every description, bedecked with flags, 
ensigns, and streamers, hasten hither and thither with their treasure 
of manly skill and feminine beauty; moreover, be it said, that 
among all the vivacious and bright-minded women assembled there, 
none are more fair and graceful than the women and girls of 
Maine and none follow the events with keener understanding. 

Wherever one travels down the Maine coast he sees numerous 
floats of lobster traps bobbing about on the surface of the water. 
The North American lobster is found only on a narrow strip of 
ocean bottom along the coast from Labrador to Delaware. In Maine 
the lobster catch far exceeds that of any other State and its yearly 
value to Maine fishermen exceeds $2,000,000. Nearly three thou¬ 
sand fishers gain their living from this industry and in late years 
especially it has become a gainful occupation. At Boothbay Harbor, 



OUT FOR A SAIL 




244 


COASTAL MAINE 



THE LOBSTER HATCHERY 


the geographical center of the lobster territory, the federal govern¬ 
ment has established a lobster hatchery, the only hatchery of its kind. 
Its purpose is to propagate the lobster in our coastal waters and 
prevent its depletion. Many millions of the young crustaceans have 
been planted yearly along our Atlantic shores. The hatchery is an 

interesting place to visit, 
and especially so since 
an aquarium has been 
added, in whose glass 
tanks are numerous va¬ 
rieties of denizens of 
the briny deep. 

Mount Pisgah, a high 
and rocky elevation 
overlooking the harbor, 
of late years has become 
celebrated as the meet¬ 
ing place of art students in summer and the site of a prosperous 
school of art. Some of the world’s noted painters have come to 
this colony, and have added to the renown of all this region. 

From the top of Pisgah the battle between the Enterprise and 
Boxer (1814) was eagerly and clearly discerned. The conflict 
was contested most fiercely and is the most renowned of Maine- 
fought battles. The Enterprise was enjoined to protect our com¬ 
merce from British privateers which were known to be lurking 
about the coast. One September day this gallant brig set out in 
search of an enemy ship reported in the vicinity of Monhegan and 
Pemaquid. When sighted the next afternoon, the ship turned out 
to be the British brig Boxer. The two opponents were evenly 
matched in all particulars. The Enterprise was commanded by 
Captain William Burrows, a man of twenty-eight years, while 
the English commander. Captain Samuel Blyth, was but one year 
older. Straightway the rival ships began to maneuver for an ad¬ 
vantageous position so that later in the afternoon their positions 
had changed quite a distance westward. 

Finally the vessels came to close quarters and the desperate battle 
followed. Deadly broadsides were poured into the Boxer and in 
scarcely more than a moment’s time her decks were red with car¬ 
nage. Early in the fight Captain Blyth was killed outright and 




COASTAL MAINE 


245 


Captain Burrows was mortally wounded. Within forty minutes 
a considerable part of the British crew was slain and the remainder 
so disabled that it ceased firing. 

“Why don’t you take down your colors?” an American shouted. 

W^e cannot, sir, they are nailed to the mast,” came the reply. 

The struggle was 
ended and the next day 
the victors and the van¬ 
quished made their way 
into Portland harbor 
amidst the rejoicing of 
the citizens, and the two 
captains, so youthful and 
brave, with equal honors 
were laid side by side 
in the old cemetery by 
the sea. 

Leaving Booth bay 
Harbor by steamboat, the tourist is taken directly to Squirrel Island, 
a resort proud of its setting and recognized as one of the most 
desirable of our coast colonies. There are islands, islands all 
around,—bold Capitol with its high and gayly painted roofs in 

striking contrast to the 
green of the spruce trees 
among which they are 
interspersed, and pretty, 
demure little Mouse, 
and out beyond all the 
others the rounded, 
worn, and storm-swept 
Cuckolds with its ala¬ 
baster lighthouse. But 
presto! the islands have 
disappeared, the steamer 
is plowing up Townshend Gut and in a few minutes more will 
make a landing at Southport. 

An island town is found here, well peopled with summer and 
permanent residents. Various hamlets are scattered about the 
island, each a study in itself, but Cape Newagen is the most inter- 



THE CUCKOLDS 









246 


COASTAL MAINE 


esting of all. While there we had the feeling of isolation,— 
that we were far out to sea and a long distance from other habi¬ 
tations, but for all that in a most pleasant place. The covering 
of the great ledges is scant and the locality is exposed to the full 
fury of the winds and the beating of the sea. But on this bleak 
cape a prosperous little village with scarcely any street or plan at 
all has been built up by the hardy toilers of the sea. The outlook 
is splendid indeed. Nowhere else is the Boothbay country seen to 
be spread out in such a panorama. To the west lies old Seguin. 
It is small wonder that Chappell, the ex-corsair, who settled here 
to spend the evening of his life honestly and comfortably, was 
accustomed to retire to a chair wrought out of the cliff by nature’s 
hand and through the haze of his pipe-dreams to fix his thoughts 
far out over the magnificent prospect before him. 

Nine years after Captain John Smith came to Cape Newagen 
“to fish for whales,” Captain Levett found nine ships fishing in 
this vicinity. The voyager stayed here four nights, and among a 
crowd of braves and curious squaws and noisy papooses, he got 

almost a surfeit of sav¬ 
age life. “I could see 
little good timber here, 
and less ground,” he 
wrote. Words truly 
said! 

Drake, the American 

traveller and writer, 

termed the sail between 

Boothbay Harbor and 

, Bath one of the pleas- 

PIERCE S COVE, SOUTHPORT ^ t 

antest of his life, and I 

believe there are many others who would concur with his statement. 

From Townshend Gut the course turns into Sheepscot Bay with 

its profusion of islands. Indeed this region is locally termed “The 

Islands.” Southport, Westport, Georgetown and Arrowsic in their 

entirety, and both Boothbays in part, are composed of these same 

fragmentary land units. 



After passing the Isle of Springs the boat runs directly across 
the bay to Five Islands founded on masses of adamantine rock 
about which the waters glisten and gleam. Aboard there are 




VIEW AP FIVE ISLANDS 















248 


COASTAL MAINE 


groups of summer people and a few residents of this region, the 
former scattered about everywhere, the latter sitting on the bag¬ 
gage, or standing on the deck in front of the pilot house and 
leaning slightly forward in characteristic posture to get a clear view 
ahead. Among the former are some who wear smart yachting 
suits and caps and affect to know somewhat of nautical procedure. 
How useless and transparent the sham! Let your Bostonian or 
New Yorker brown himself to an exquisite tan and prig himself 
as much as he may, and still he will not be classed for a single 
moment with the leathery-skinned, weather-beaten down-east habi¬ 
tant of the coast. No one is perplexed in distinguishing the coun¬ 
terfeit from the real. 

Motor boats throng these waters and the vacationists wave their 
greetings as the steamer passes. Here the taciturnity and reserve 
of the city are cast aside and people become their natural selves. 
The ozone of the salt bays and rivers (we doubt it not) endows 
them with new buoyancy and youth. 

At Five Islands and at all of these resorts people may be playing 
tennis, or roaming the woods, or in hammock or chair enjoying 
the quiet of their piazzas; but when the steamboat whistle blows 
they immediately converge from all quarters and as red-tanned as 
Indians and as hardy, they all rush down to the landing and throng 
the wharf en masse to see the boat come in. This is an item of 
routine procedure in summer life on the Islands. 

Five Islands is a part of Georgetown and is well populated the 
year through. The village also is well patronized as a summer 
resort. It is, perhaps, the most remarkable locality along the whole 
route. The region is unusually broken and among so many island 
scenes there yet is something here for which we are not prepared. 
To the south is a group of tiny islands, high and forested, though 
the forests are miniature indeed!—in truth a most captivating 
little group through whose narrow passages we can catch seaward 
glimpses. 

It is well worth while to land and travel over the main island’s 
winding road. The visitor is coming constantly to something un¬ 
expected,—for instance Robin Hood’s Cove at Georgetown village 
where the tide in a deeply penetrating recess flows in smoothly and 
strongly in its deep, narrow course; or farther over the hill through 
a dense tract of woods, a small group of trim white houses facing 


COASTAL MAINE 


249 


a pretty ocean cove, and lost as it would seem beyond the forest 
realm. Across the narrow strait arises the giant boulder head of 
Arrowsic scarcely clothed by a shrub or a tree and almost wholly 
devoid of apparent life. We thought this little community to be 
the most retired from the rapidly pulsating world of any we ever 
had seen, and withal we thought it one of the most happy and 
restful and delightful. 

After the steamboat had started from the wharf at Five Islands 
we looked at the different passes leading everywhere and inquired 
^‘Whither next?” We are certain none of the uninstructed knew, 
but the captain who had sailed this route a thousand times before 
never hesitated. If the sea-riddles are sometimes complicated, the 
Maine navigators know them well. Because we are novices we 
wonder the more. After making Westport landing and getting 
fairly started on the course again we came to an inland basin in 
appearance like a lake. It is, in fact, Hockomock Bay, and the 
high, ledge-formed dome or promontory on the right is Hockomock 
Head. Close at hand is the birthplace of William Phips. In 
early times the Indians raided the little hamlet which Phips’ father 
in all probability had a part in founding, and the residents in their 
fright ran towards the headland where they had a better chance 
for either hiding or escaping. An old Scotchman less fleet of foot 
than the others and, as it chanced, wearing a large old-fashioned 
wig of flowing hair, lagged behind the rest. A pursuing savage 
came up closer and closer and finally reached out and seized his 
quarry hy the hair, doubtlessly with gleeful anticipation of the 
big, bushy scalp that he was about to obtain. To the redman’s 
surprise and utter horror, the scalp only remained in his hand and 
the headless victim, as he thought, ran the faster. It occurred to 
the astonished Indian that he had fallen in with the father of all 
evil, and dropping the wig he turned to flee and loudly called 
to his companions, “Hockomock! Hockomock! (the devil! the 
devil!).” 

Another turn and a broken cliff-bound shore is approached and 
in a moment the sturdy little steamboat is pouring out columns of 
black smoke and exerting all its strength in a narrow passage where 
the waters seethe and swirl and rush downward into the bay. We 
are passing through Hell Gate. Champlain in his explorations 
encountered this channel and remembered it well. Under the 


250 


COASTAL MAINE 


guidance of some Indians he had passed Hockomock Bay with a 
fair tide and “a favorable and fresh wind”; but when he came 
to the boiling narrows and the adverse current, he was at loss to 
account for so strange a phenomenon. Seamen who are familiar 
with this route know that the opposing current is set up by the 
strong inflow between 
the rocky shores and the 
narrow channel. Each 
of the Indian guides 
before the passage of 
the rapids deposited an 
arrow head on Hocko¬ 
mock Point, lest some 
evil spirit should over¬ 
whelm them with mis¬ 
fortune. Champlain 
fastened hawsers to trees 

and in considerable dan¬ 
ger warped his ship through the channel. “We thought that we 
should hardly ever escape alive,” wrote Father Biard; “In two 
places some of our people cried out piteously that we were all lost; 

but praise God, they 
cried too soon.” 

As Hell Gate recedes 
the shores become less 
rugged and grasses grow 
along the shallow places 
of the Sasanoa which 
we have now entered. 
A moment more and we 
have gone “through the 
draw” between Arrow- 

sic and the mainland 
INTERIOR VIEW, WALPOLE CHURCH , , , , 

and are out on the broad 

bosom of the Kennebec with the city of Bath directly before us. 

Curiously enough the greater part of the very oldest church 

edifices now extant in Maine are in this part of the State. Most 

ancient of these is the old Walpole Church in Bristol (1772). 



along the channel shore 


















COASTAL MAINE 


251 


Within this staunch old Presbyterian edifice worship was conducted 
before the Revolution. Fortunately all that pertains to the church 
has been preserved, and the visitor as he walks the quaint old aisles, 
may look upon the self-same Bible that the first Scotch pastor in 
this place turned so many years ago, and the communion cups that 
were devoutly touched by lips that for a century and a half have 
been turned to dust. 

True to its namesake in Merrie Old England, Bristol has pro¬ 
duced many seafaring men, the most distinguished of whom was 
Commodore Samuel Tucker, who achieved reputation and station 
in the Revolution. During his fighting career he took enough 
prizes to make him wealthy, but he was a poor business man and 
on that account his good fortune, in a financial sense, was not 
lasting. On one voyage he was conveying John Adams to France. 
By chance a British cruiser was encountered and Tucker immedi¬ 
ately engaged in a smart battle. In the thick of the tumult the 
distinguished passenger, musket in hand, was descried fighting as 
vigorously as any of the others. Tucker rushed up to him and 
exclaimed: “You here. Sir! You have no business here. Sir! I am 
commanded to carry you safely to Europe, and God helping me, I 
will do it!” Whereupon he seized Mr. Adams as unceremoniously 
as he would have seized a child and carried him to the cabin. 

The coast country between Pemaquid and Thomaston is the 
least frequented by tourists and, perhaps, the least appreciated of 
any of the easily accessible coast line of our State. For all that, 
however, it is not a whit less charming than the rest. It merely 
waits its time. The villages in this region are fairly frequent and 
occur at nearly equal intervals. In days agone these settlements, 
although they may have been heralded but little, have sent out 
many gallant ships and many gallant men and have added their 
full part to our commercial life. 

The village of Round Pond, a secluded and delightful place in 
the town of Bristol, is situated about the coves of old Muscongus 
Bay. A few miles east is Friendship which in recent years has 
vied with East Boothbay in the boat-builders’ art. The village 
presents a pleasant aspect as well as a friendly name, and is bor¬ 
dered by a wealth of insular beauty. 

Between the two places last mentioned is Muscongus Island, the 
abode of a fisher folk who are genial, unselfish, and unspoiled. 


252 


COASTAL MAINE 



On this island as elsewhere, in conformity with the down-east 
custom, the pronoun she is made to apply to well nigh all con¬ 
ditions, things and persons. 

“Isn’t she a beauty?” asked a good Muscongus housewife, as 
she pointed with pride to a smart motor boat that her husband 

recently had purchased 
to further his lobster 
fishing business about 
the bay. 

We murmured as¬ 
sent. 

A few minutes later 
the same good woman 
after an exasperating 
attempt to kindle a fire 
in her kitchen stove 
exclaimed: 

ROUND POND ‘‘How she does 

smoke! ” 

A moment later her fine baby boy, not finding the choking 
atmosphere suited to his liking, set up a lusty bawl. 

“ The poor little darling,” said the mother sympathetically; 
“How she does cry!” 

The community on Muscongus is the more interesting because 
until quite recently it governed itself as it saw fit. It belonged to no 
town and was ignored or over¬ 
looked by the authorities of the 
State. No tax was paid to the 
State and no returns, nor re¬ 
ports of any sort were sent to 
the Capital. The responsibility 
of maintaining a form of gov¬ 
ernment on the island depended 
on its people alone. Of course 
that arrangement no longer friendship 

holds, but while it was in force, 

it does not seem that education or intelligence suffered. With no 
small effort and sacrifice these island folks have lately builded a church 
to fill a long felt need in the development of their spiritual lives. 










COASTAL MAINE 


253 


Between the Kennebec and the Penobscot, and in truth along the 
entire Maine coast, are two parallel rows of settlements, both of 
which formerly derived their being from the sea. One tier was 
planted near the open ocean. To this class Boothbay Harbor, South 
Bristol, and Round Pond belong. Some miles up the tidal rivers 
another tier is found, of which Wiscasset and Damariscotta are ex¬ 
amples. Waldoboro belongs to the latter class. Located at the head of 
the tide on the Medomak, this village used to be a flourishing trading 
point and shipbuilding center. 

It was not uncommon to see 
a dozen or more ships on the 
stocks at one time. Paren¬ 
thetically, it is not amiss to 
state that the first five-masted 
schooner, the Governor Ames, 
was built here. To-day the 
population of the town is 
about one-half the number it 
had in 1860, but new man¬ 
ufacturing enterprises have 
come in and population and prosperity are increasing again. In 
agricultural and poultry products Waldoboro still prospers greatly, 
although it cannot depend as much as formerly upon the wealth 
derived from the sea. The summer resident is much in evidence 
in his season and adds to the activity of the town. 

In passing through the thickly settled country on either side of 
the river, a stranger is surprised at the prevalence of German 
names on the mail boxes and if he happens to be of an inquiring 
turn of mind, he easily can learn the following stor)^: 

In 1630 the king granted a patent of land between the Penob¬ 
scot and Muscongus rivers to two Englishmen. This grant was 
known as the Muscongus Patent. Afterwards it came under the 
control of General Samuel Waldo and was called the Waldo 
Patent. About 1740, it is supposed, a company of Germans were 
induced to settle beside the peerless expanse of Muscongus Bay 
that is now called Broad Cove. After a few years the Indians 
attacked the small settlement and some of the colonists were 
killed and the others were thankful to escape to neighboring 
habitations. 




254 


COASTAL MAINE 


Some years later General Waldo sent his son to Germany to 
organize another body of colonists. Glowing inducements were 
set forth. Support for six months was guaranteed whilst the 
new-comers should get a foothold in the new country, and each 
man was promised one hundred acres of land bordering the salt 

water. Influenced by the terms 
proposed, some sixty families 
left their homes in the Father- 
land and arrived at Broad Cove 
in September. None of the 
promises made by the younger 
Waldo were fulfilled, but on 
the other hand all things were 
lacking and the new arrivals 
were wholly unprepared for 
winter. A few found shel¬ 
ter with the colonists already 
established there, while the 
greater part cast their lot together for awhile in a large building 
which they erected. Neglected thus by their patron, the Germans, 
exposed and starving, dragged through a miserable season. They 
did not know how to hunt or fish. Meal was so scarce that a whole 
day’s labor would buy no more than a quart of that precious food. 
Clams were plentiful and saved the people from utter starvation. 
When spring came the lot of the emigrants was unenviable. From 
a pleasant, fertile country they found themselves transplanted to a 
wilderness of dark evergreens and left unaided to work out their 
own salvation as best they could. After they had set to work and 
cleared their fields, the custom of inclosing land with fences being 
unknown to them, their crops were injured by the wild beasts and 
their own domestic animals. They bruised their grain after the 
manner of the Indians because they had no mill. 

So thoroughly were the customs of the Rhine country ingrained 
in their minds that some of the colonists covered their wells at 
night lest the water should be poisoned by the night dew during 
an eclipse of the moon; and they were loath to allow their cattle 
to graze until the dew of the morning had disappeared from the 
grass. Perhaps it was little wonder that they were suspicious of 
everything in such a new and barbarous country. There were no 








COASTAL MAINE 


255 


schools at first, but education was not neglected. The settlers 
found located at the Cove one Bruce Cooper, an Irishman, with 
whom they came in conflict. They could not unaerstand his 
tongue, but what was more to their liking. Cooper could not help 
comprehending the might of strong German fists, until at last 
yielding to the inevitable, he relinquished his holdings and removed 
eastward to the valley of the St. George. The early history of 
the colony is the more interesting because several Moravian fami¬ 
lies found their way to Waldoboro and joined their fortunes with 
those of the Lutherans. They got along well with their new 
friends and at one time maintained a Moravian clergyman who 
ministered to the spiritual needs of the community. 

In spite of all they had to contend with at the start, these settlers 
soon adjusted themselves to their new surroundings and prospered. 
With characteristic German industry they cleared the land and 
lined both banks of the Medomak with farms for five miles, and 
it is stated that the population ran well into the hundreds. After¬ 
wards, however, much trouble and litigation arose concerning their 
land titles. The matter had long been in dispute. Many of the 
settlers—possibly half of the colony—in total discouragement for¬ 
sook their homes and departed to North Carolina. Those who 
remained purchased anew the land which already was rightfully 



theirs. And there were In¬ 
dian troubles, besides, in which 
the settlers suffered much 
from the prowling savages, 
and all in all their lives were 
filled with uncertainty and 
danger. 

At Waldoboro the Luther¬ 
an worship was set up first 
in Maine. An old Dutch 
church building, a century 
and a quarter old, is still kept in an excellent state of preservation, 
and as a matter of sentiment, services now are held therein twice 
every year. There were fifty or more church members, each of 
whom in prosperous times paid £3, old tenor, together with a bushel 
of corn and three days labor in support of the church. Close 
around this meeting house the old German settlers rest in their 


THE OLD LUTHERAN CHURCH 



256 


COASTAL MAINE 


long sleep. Part of the time in early years it was impossible to 
support a minister and the spiritual guidance of the colony for a 
while was under the direction of Captain Ulmer, a layman. Con¬ 
cerning him is yet told a story which illustrates the human element 
in a religious teacher’s mind just as each one of us finds in himself. 
In the middle of a religious service Captain Ulmer’s glance hap¬ 
pened to stray through the window to his field outside and he 
shouted in excitement and considerable feeling: “Donner und 
Blitzen! Yarcob! Yarcob! dar ist der tarn hogs in der potatoes! 
Tousand Tieful! Trive dem out and put up der fence!” 

Truly this settlement was wrought out with patience and diffi¬ 
culty. They were heroic men who reclaimed these fields from 
the wilderness; and they became patriotic Americans who lived up 
to their duties. Some accompanied Pepperrell in the Louisburg 
expedition and others fought in the War for Independence. Their 
descendants occupy and cultivate the same lands to-day, and some 
of the old-country customs cling to these rural homes. Happy 
indeed is the lot of the dwellers in this wide river vale which 
nature illumes with a kindly smile,—happier, far happier, we doubt 
not, than the lot of their ancestors who settled this valley at first. 

I have never embarked on any other short trip with as eager 
anticipation as when I boarded the little steamboat at Boothbay 
Harbor, en route to Monhegan. My mind was over-filled with 
impatience and expectancy as we dropped down the harbor and 
passed ancient Damariscove and all the other islands. On account 
of a slight haze that overspread the water I could not discern the 
land which I so much wished to see; but suddenly the atmosphere 
cleared and in a moment’s time, it seemed, the “high round isle”” 
was in plain sight and right before me. 

Thus I first beheld the land which was sighted before any other by 
the old voyagers who ventured to this part of the world, thq erst¬ 
while port of call for vessels on their way to Virginia, and place 
of departure of colonists and adventurers who sought passage to 
the old world,—in brief, a most historic island among all the 
islands of America. Yes, there stood sea-girt Monhegan as firm 
as it stood three hundred years ago. Its ledge-bound sides and 
black forests still were suggestive of the days of Weymouth, of 
Champlain, and of Smith; but now a lighthouse of pure white 
marked its top and a tiny village nestled beneath its western slope. 


COASTAL MAINE 


257 


Almost before I knew it, some exposed ledges were passed and we 
had entered the little harbor. 

As I wandered up from the landing with no particular objective 
in mind, I noticed that there were no highways on the island, nor 
anything whatsoever of that nature more than various island paths 
that led off wherever they listeth. The next moment I came to 
the realization that I had come into a thriving summer resort. 
Hotels were numerous for so small a place and summer cottages 
were scattered about profusely enough to gladden the heart of any 
Portland real estate promoter who might happen to see them. But 
why should it not be so? If histories are true, Monhegan began this 
summer resort business more than three centuries ago with the ad¬ 
vent of over seas’ people 
who came to fish. It is 
time to look for results. 

The permanent resi¬ 
dents of the island in¬ 
terest us more. Fisher¬ 
men they are almost to 
a man. Their vocation 
has been carried along 
continuously in this re¬ 
gion from the coming 
of the first Europeans. 

No other industry, save 
that of caring for tourists, has invaded Monhegan. Agriculture 
and trade, save what has arisen from fishing, has been unknown. 
Were it not for violating all the traditions of the place, a market 
gardener could succeed well at Monhegan. All told, the bona-fide 
residents number less than one hundred souls, and for many years 
the population has been practically stationary. In affairs of gov¬ 
ernment Monhegan is one of the plantations of Maine, but for 
many years the people governed themselves according to usages and 
laws which they set down as seemed best to themselves. In spite 
of the small size of the body politic, in regard to public policy 
there have been sharp divisions of opinion at times, and as often 
happens in larger communities, all has not run smoothly. The 
dwellings are neat and comfortable, and beside some are little 
gardens, but only a few in all. It goes without saying that the 



10 




258 


COASTAL MAINE 


hamlet supports a church and school. The fishing industry goes 
on as briskly as ever and Monhegan fishermen well can afford all 
that most other people possess. They all have money in the bank 
and are well-to-do. 

Mona, directly across the harbor, is too unique to be ignored or 
forgotten. It is composed of rock so exclusively that it can sup¬ 
port no vegetation, and it rises to a commanding height above the 
surrounding ocean. Were it not for this little island, Monhegan 
would have no secure place in history, for it would have no harbor 
and its rough shores would be inaccessible. Even as it is, the 
haven is none too secure and we do not wonder that Waymouth 
hastened to seek a safer anchorage towards the mainland. On one 
of Mona’s cliffs facing the harbor are cut some mysterious inscrip¬ 
tions that have baffled the curiosity of scholars and travellers for 
years. It was commonly thought that these characters were in¬ 
scribed by the Norsemen when they peopled our coast so many 
years ago, but this idea is not held by Danish scholars. Some 
people have conjectured that the lettering was done by the Indians, 
but there seems to be no particular reason for believing this to be 
true. One old Monhegan resident informed me that the inscrip¬ 
tions “just grew there” and I believe he was right. In other 
words, probably the chiseling was done by nature rather than by 
human hands. 

After a refreshing night’s sleep I started to climb to the top of 
the island. Through a miniature forest and a swamp I threaded 
my way and came into some pasture land traversed by deep rifts 
and steep ledges which were difflcult to cross. Several stone walls 
were encountered, from which I inferred that domestic animals 
once were nurtured on the island. At length the very height of 
land was reached, and from my vantage ground I turned towards 
the main whose headlands and fringe of islands were smoothed 
and submerged by the distance and the waves dashing against the 
rocks gave the impression of one long continuous beach of white 
sand along the shore,—an illusion indeed! On one side, twenty 
miles away, I could see Seguin, and on the other side Matinicus. 
Neither is the peer of Monhegan, but like it, each is a remote out¬ 
post of the sea. 

I now directed my steps to the eastern side of the island and 
stood on the brink of a high cliff looking up to Whitehead. The 


COASTAL MAINE 


259 


impression gained there is sublime and awful. The cliffs are only 
surpassed in this part of the coast by those of the Canadian island 
of Grand Manan. There is nothing worthy of comparison with 
them from Kittery Point to Quoddy Head. At the Two Lights 
and elsewhere we get some notion of the unrestrained sweep of 
the sea flood, but with no 
such power as is witnessed 
here. The strength of old 
ocean unconfined is power¬ 
fully manifested. Here the 
prodigious wall of rock, solid, 
massive, and strong, here the 
unrestricted power of the 
deep, militant forces engaged 
in perpetual and Titanic con¬ 
flict, neither gaining, neither 
losing, as far as human eye can discern. In such a place no man 
can stand and be in his common mind. His heart beats faster 
and in the exhilaration which he feels there is mixed something 
of dread. The surroundings are so awful that he feels insecure. 
He thinks of a misstep or a swoon, and the fall into that mighty 
abyss in which his puny struggles would avail nothing at all and 
his loudest cry would be less than the faintest whisper in the boom¬ 
ing and roar of the sea. He cautiously peers over the precipice 
and watches the incoming swell of the ocean strike against the 
perpendicular rock and climb high up with mighty power and 
without fuss or apparent effort, only to lose its hold and to sink 
back to the depths below. And far away stretch the waters, sea- 
blue and crested with white riders, as far as the distant rock of 
Matinic and beyond. 

Here within the tumult of this gigantic battle, the opposing forces 
forever assaulting, forever resisting, environed by the greatness and 
grandeur of it all, I lingered with feelings not easily told; and I 
thought of the Northmen, and Cabot, and Waymouth, and Pring. 
Embosomed in the romance and the awe of this vast scene at the 
very threshold of the new world, how they must have been thrilled 
by the continent all mysterious and unknown before them! 

I confess that the intensity of my feelings at Whitehead rather 
unfitted me to enjoy the less majestic scenery along the southern 



WHITEHEAD 




260 


COASTAL MAINE 


shore, but there is much there that a person ought to see. The 
broken hull of an old ship, suggestive of some nearly forgotten 
tragedy of the sea and storm, is to be found almost anywhere 
on the disrupted rocks, and over these same rocks the display of 
surf is too grand and picturesque for description. Here the Old 
Washerwoman scrubs so vigorously that in spite of all their 
machines and improved facilities, she can compete easily with a 
thousand laundries. She is just as willing to work overtime as to 
restrict her activities to 
an eight-hour day, and 
best of all she shouts 
and laughs gleefully as 
she works. 

As I walked down 
to the wharf to meet 
the incoming steamer, I 
turned for a last look 
at the M’nhigon of the 
coast folks. Conditions 
are growing easier there. 

With no highways to maintain, nor any considerable expense be¬ 
sides the public school, and with a good supply of hotels and summer 
homes, the accumulation of moderate wealth is easy and the burden 
of taxation is light. But the advent of so many people from the 
cities, it is almost certain, will produce changes of thought and give 
the life of the island a different trend. We fear the simple life of 
the hamlet is doomed. But just now, thank Heaven, there are lob¬ 
ster traps piled up on the ledges and fish houses stand on the shore; 
and we earnestly pray that the islanders will cling steadfastly to 
their time-honored calling for at least three centuries to come. 

As the steamer passed out of the harbor I repeated to myself a 
little stanza of verse which I had caught up: 

“Monhegan is a pleasant isle; 

As fair as fair can be; 

The sweetheart of the summer sun. 

The jewel of the sea.’’ 

And with a new appreciation I mused over Captain John Smith’s 
description of “the remarkablest isle and mountains for landmarks. 





COASTAL MAINE 


261 


a round high isle, with little Mona at its side betwixt which is a 
small harbor where our ships can lie at anchor.” 

For nearly a week we had lingered about Port Clyde and Ten¬ 
ants Harbor. Mist and fog and storm had shrouded the sea and 
the malicious east wind had hurled up great billows to dash them 
to pieces on the shore with savage delight. But late one afternoon 
the sullen frown of the storm power was broken and all in a burst 
of sunlight we left behind us the booming of the ocean and 
ascended the St. George on its inflowing flood. Sometimes the 
surface of the stream was smooth like a mirror, sometimes broken 
into checks like the squares of a screen, sometimes raised in silver 
ripples, while before us the sun’s rays met in an ever approaching 
vista. Past Pentecost Harbor, past the evergreen woods, past 
a pretty diminutive island, scarcely a rod in diameter, past farms 
and forests and a little hamlet over whose church tower stood the 
typical New England steeple, past “very gallant coves,” it was an 
interesting sail. On th'e left were the green fields of Cushing, 
on the right the long peninsula of St. George. At one place 
Waymouth anchored the Archangel when he explored the river, 
and in another place Winslow and his men lost their lives at the 
hands of the redmen. The water course began to narrow, the 
boat turned sharply, and 
we saw the spires and 
white-painted residences 
of Thomaston reposing 
amidst the green of the 
elm-covered hills. 

In its palmy days 
Thomaston was the 
richest of all the Maine 
coast towns, and there 
are old men about the 
wharves to-day who will 
tell you of the O’Brien 
merchant fleet that formerly sailed from this port, the best and 
fastest of its kind that ever put to sea. Thomaston now has fallen 
on different days. It is no longer the busy, hustling town of yore. 
Few are the ships that come up the river; and the smoke that curls 
lazily from a few lime-kilns seems to indicate the chief industry. 



WAYMOUTH BOULDER, THOMASTON 








262 


COASTAL MAINE 


Quiet reigns. The well preserved homes of Thomaston are occu¬ 
pied largely by retired people of means. 

Nowadays Thomaston marks the head of navigation, but for¬ 
merly vessels of light burden ascended the sinuous, grass-bordered 
St. George as far as Warren. Waymouth penetrated this more 
difficult course of the river and was lavish with his praises. “What 
profit or pleasure soever is described and truly verified in the former 
part of the river is wholly doubled in this,” he said; “We all con¬ 
cluded that we never should see the like river in every degree equal 
until it pleased God we beheld the same river again.” 

“All along is an equal plain neither mountainous or rocky, but 
verged with a green border of grass * * * so making tender 
unto the eye the fertility and pleasure, which would be much more, 
if by clearing away the woods, she were converted into a goodly 
meadow. And the wood she beareth is not shrubbish, fit only for 
fuel, but goodly oak, birch, tall fir and spruce.” We may add that 
with some allowance for exaggeration and the inevitable changes 
due to the centuries. Captain Waymouth’s description fits quite 
aptly to-day. 

But the old navigator has not yet spoken his full appreciation. 
“The air is so wholesome, as I suppose not any of us found our¬ 
selves at any time more healthful, more able to labor, nor with 
better stomach to such good fare as we partly brought and partly 
found.” The foregoing expresses sentiments to which many a 
summer visitant will add a hearty “Amen.” 

Thomaston was located in the heart of the Waldo Patent. Its 
founding was coeval with that of Waldoboro, and except for a 
few years during the Indian wars, its progress was unbroken. In 
the early part of the eighteenth century twenty business men asso¬ 
ciated, and put up a saw-mill and some new houses in the town. 
Afterwards a garrison of twenty soldiers under Colonel Westbrook 
was stationed at St. George, as the fort was called at that time. 
The settlement had its troubles with marauding Indians and at 
one time the mill and houses were burned and the cattle killed. 
Fort St. George was assaulted long and furiously and an unsuccess¬ 
ful attempt to undermine it was made. The fortification was 
defended with great spirit and bravery and withstood the savages 
when all other settlements between the Kennebec and Penobscot 
were abandoned. At the close of the struggle the colonists and 


COASTAL MAINE 


263 


Indians attempted to establish better relations. A store was set up 
in which the redmen could trade honorably, but no rum was sold 
and the venture was unprofitable. The General Court of Massa¬ 
chusetts offered to pay £150 for a minister to reside at St. George, 
provided he would learn the dialect of the tribe and become the 
instructor of its people. It was planned to associate with him a 
younger scholar who was to be the schoolmaster, with £10 a year 
placed in his hands for books and curios to be distributed among 
the Indians as they merited. 

The last years of General Henry Knox were closely associated 
with Thomaston. Knox was born in Boston in 1750, and while 
a young man engaged 
in business on his own 
account as a bookbinder 
and stationer. When our 
trouble with the mother 
country occurred, he was 
outspoken in his disap¬ 
proval of the English 
policy. But we must 
break off our story here 
to begin another. 

Lucy Fluker was the 
granddaughter of Gen¬ 
eral Waldo, and her 
family was aristocratic 
and strongly Tory in 
its sympathies. There 
was hardly a Waldo or 
Fluker who held any¬ 
thing but contempt for 
the young Scotch-Irish 
bookseller; but in the face of family pride and parental opposition, 
Lucy Fluker followed her own sweet will and renounced her house 
in order to choose the undistinguished Boston tradesman from her 
numerous suitors. 

When the British had seized Boston, Knox fled, accompanied by 
his youthful wife who concealed his sword within her clothing, 
and offered himself as a volunteer to General W^ard just before 



GENERAL HENRY KNOX 




264 


COASTAL MAINE 


the Battle of Bunker Hill. Afterwards Knox met Washington 
at Roxbuiy and a life-long friendship commenced. Knox was 
advanced rapidly and became a Major General. When the British 
evacuated New York it was General Knox who rode beside Wash¬ 
ington, and at all times he enjoyed the confidence and afiFection of 
his commander-in-chief. Lucy Knox accompanied her husband 
in his campaigns and by her presence and cheerfulness did much 
to enliven the dreariness of camp life. Especially was this true 
during the terrible winter at Valley Forge. Washington himself 
was quick to appreciate and acknowledge her helpful influence. 

General Knox became our first Secretary of War, and just as 
he was the personal friend and adviser of the President, so Mrs. 
Knox, as a woman of fashion and a leader and oracle of drawing¬ 
room etiquette, became the esteemed friend and helper of Mrs. 
Washington in her social duties. 

By inheritance and purchase the greater part of the Waldo 
Patent had come into the possession of General and Mrs. Knox, 
and they took up their residence in Thomaston to manage their 
vast estate. Their interests were extensive. Lime-burning, brick¬ 
making, shipbuilding, and a general trade were carried on. Knox 
had given much of his time to the service of his country, and 
although he now controlled some wealth, yet he thought of him¬ 
self as a comparatively poor man with his fortune still to be made. 
It is probable also that he wished to perform a public service in 
carrying on the work of development in which the Waldos had 
been such eflFective pioneers. 

General Knox had sent builders before him, who on the hillside 
overlooking the St. George had constructed a splendid mansion 
called Montpelier. The cost was about $15,000, a large sum in 
those times. Its piazzas and balconies, its style and beauty, its 
gardens and farms, excelled those of every other country seat in 
Maine. It was withal a home of magnificence and beauty. 

The Knoxes dispensed a lavish hospitality. At the outset a 
housewarming was given to which all the town and all the neigh¬ 
boring settlements were bidden. Once as an expression of friend¬ 
ship, the General invited the Tarrantines of the Penobscot country 
to come to Montpelier as his guests, and for once he overestimated 
the bounds of his generous hospitality. His visitors showed 


COASTAL MAINE 


265 


their appreciation by staying so long and eating so heartily that the 
host seemed in a fair way of being eaten out of house and home 
and he at last was com¬ 
pelled to tell the Indians 
that the visit was ended. 

Talleyrand and the 
young Louis Philippe 
were entertained fit¬ 
tingly by the old soldier 
and his vivacious wife. 

Friends were welcome 
always. There was 
little chance of ennui 
at Montpelier, where 
Madam Knox was the 
leader in social festivities. It is said that often an ox and twenty 
sheep a week were slaughtered to feed the household and that 
twenty saddle horses and several w’agons were kept for the con¬ 
venience of guests and chance sojourners. 

The associations of Knox’s middle life had to a considerable 
degree developed him into a man of aristocratic tendencies, and 
he seems to have marked out for himself at Thomaston the career 
of a country gentleman. All went well, or appeared to, for a 
time, and his enterprises no doubt gave a real boom to the small 
village. Then troubles came. General Knox was distinguished, 
honest, and energetic, but he was not a good business man. Against 
almost insuperable odds he could bring cannon from Ticonderoga, 
force the passage of the ice-blocked Delaware, and stem the tide 
of disaster at Monmouth, but he hardly could contend with the 
varied business problems all the while arising on his big estate. 
Only eleven years from the day when he crossed the threshold of 
his mansion with the expectation of winning a fortune, he died 
a broken-hearted man, oppressed by debt and nearly bankrupt of 
material means. Nevertheless he was one of our nation’s sub¬ 
stantial old heroes, and we well can wish that the fates had been 
more kind in his closing years. 

It also remains to be said that Mrs. Knox did not find the happi¬ 
ness she looked for in her new home. The little woods settlement 



Eastern Illustrating Co., Belfast 
MONTPELIER 




266 


COASTAL MAINE 


must have seemed far different from the gaiety of Philadelphia to 
a person of her lively mind. Often she got away to her friends 
in Boston through the winters, and she counted much on the com¬ 
panionship of her city friends at Thomaston during the summers. 
She possessed a fine education, a strong-willed mind, and a com¬ 
manding appearance. Unlike General Knox, who was of humble 
birth and unpretentious social attainments, she took little notice of 
the common people and seems to have been disliked quite generally 
by the residents of Thomaston. In the settlement of the insolvent 
estate Mrs. Knox was given an allowance, but she could not adapt 
herself to a restricted manner of living and became pressed for 
money. She mortgaged her estate anew and her latter life was 
ill and unhappy. 

After a few years the Knox mansion was deserted by all the 
family descendants and for a while was tenanted by various people. 
Finally it was encroached on by shipyards and its site being needed, 
stately Montpelier was razed to the ground. It was a foolish; rash 
action, and repentance came quickly, but too late. A house for¬ 
merly occupied by the servants was spared, and now serves as the 
railroad station at Thomaston. 

In itself Thomaston is one. of those interesting old towns where 
one likes to tarry and look back into the life that has been, and to 
contemplate the developments which have brought this common¬ 
wealth to its present position and prosperity. This conservative 
old municipality has contributed generously to the past influence 
of Maine. It has furnished a senator and two congressmen to 
our national legislative halls, and has been the home of many 
people who have become influential in the life of the State. 

The streets of Thomaston present that very substantial appear¬ 
ance that we have noted in all our towns that have derived their 
standing from the commerce of the sea. The most interesting 
edifice of the village is an old church on the eastern outskirts. 
It is indeed a landmark from afar and in addition to its antiquity, 
it has in its belfry a genuine Paul Revere bell. The structure 
was made possible by money obtained from subscribers, among 
whom General Knox was one of the most generous. The church 
is kept in excellent repair, and though not in common use, services 
are held in it regularly once a year. 


COASTAL MAINE 


267 


The locality which embraces 
Rockland formerly was called 
The Shore, afterwards East 
Thomaston, and eventually 
came into possession of its 
present appropriate name. Its 
settlement was later than that 
of Thomaston and its history 
has been marked by no espe¬ 
cially stirring event. The 
town grew on account of its 
excellent harbor and because 
business demanded its growth 
and now Rockland is one of 
the most important and enter¬ 
prising centers in Maine. The 
commercial lime industry of 
the United States was started 
here in 1733, when Rockland where the highway bridges 
was a part of Thomaston, by ^ limestone quarry 

Samuel Waldo who made the first shipment of this product to the 
Boston market. This district now produces a million and a half 
casks of lime yearly, and more of this commodity is sent from 
Rockland than from any other single shipping point in our country. 
Among the hills back of the more thickly populated section of the 
town are numerous deep pits from which the limestone was quar¬ 
ried in former years, 
but are now abandoned 
and perchance filled 
with water. To-day 
our attention is attracted 
chiefly by the noise and 
labor of newer quarries 
now animated with 
hearty life and peopled 
with workmen clad in 
shirts and frocks as 
dusty as those which 




A QUARRY LAKE 







268 


COASTAL MAINE 




millers wear. The hoisting derricks are seen on every hand and 
the hillsides are tunnelled everywhere. Fully twenty-five million 
tons of limestone have been quarried since the industry started. 

A little railroad, a cor¬ 
poration in itself, with 
four locomotives, some 
hundreds of dump cars, 
and a trackage of 
eleven miles, winds 
among the quarries and 
transports the limestone 
to the kilns along the 
city’s water-front. Af¬ 
ter the rock is burned 
and barrelled, the prod¬ 
uct is placed aboard 
barges, of which the 
lime-producing corporation has a large fleet, and is carried to the 
various distributing centers along the Atlantic coast. The business 
has been running nearly two hundred years and is as vigorous 
as ever. 

On account of its 
extensive and well de¬ 
veloped facilities for 
handling fish, Rockland 
is the most important 
center of the fishing 
industry to be found 
in Maine, and, in truth, 
is a close second to 
Gloucester in this busi¬ 
ness. More lobsters are 
shipped from this port 
than from any other 
American city. While Rockland does not pretend to equal Port¬ 
land or Bangor in trade, yet it has an important wholesale district 
and is a shopping center for miles around. Among its large 
enterprises are shipbuilding and granite cutting, both of which 




A TRAIN ON THE LIME ROCK R. R. 


i 








COASTAL MAINE 


269 


prosper in favorable seasons. The town is modern, up-to-date, 
and alert, and its prosperity is increasing steadily. 

This city is fortunate in being the chief steamboat center of 
the central Maine coast. Since it is the first port of call of the 
Boston boats to Penobscot ports, it has the advantage of a con¬ 
siderable traffic in both directions. Every morning a little fleet of- 
steamships sail one by one out of the harbor and having made the 
lighthouse, turn to their respective courses,—to Bar Harbor, to 
Blue Hill, to Belfast and Castine, to Vinalhaven and Stonington 
and Swans Island in the outer bay, to Matinicus, to Boothbay 
Harbor, and Portland; and in the glory of the golden evening 
with lights at the prows rising and falling, they come home again. 
There are periods of the day when Tillson’s Wharf is the busiest 
place on all the coast 
of Maine, and it ought 
to be added that the 
long, isolated street that 
leads thither, belonging 
to and existing for 
many wholesale houses, 
is the most typical and 
interesting thoroughfare 
of its kind to be found 
within our State. 

Rockland has a long 
sea-front and one long business street, back from which a pleasant 
residential section covers the hill. The commodious harbor is 
merely a broad cove of Penobscot Bay, and would seem to be 
scarcely a harbor at all, were it not for a breakwater a mile in 
length, which was built to shut out the force of the ocean. A large 
hotel commanding the breakwater watches on one side; and OwPs 
Head with its half dome and surrounding fringe of evergreens 
and its lighthouse,—with the possible exception of Quoddy, the 
most striking of Maine headlands,—marks the other extreme. 

A visit to Rockland is not complete without a trip to OwPs 
Head with time to loiter about to view the ocean and talk with 
the people. This is the locality where Captain Cargyle murdered 
twelve Indians for their scalps and in so doing helped to enkindle 



owl’s head 





270 


COASTAL MAINE 


a new war with the Tarrantines. In the village of South Thom- 
aston—Weskeag it formerly was called and now is locally known 
as “Keag” or “The Gig”—the tourist ought to stop at the “carry” 
of the Indians from the ocean to the St. George. From the village 
a road extends down the peninsula among the ledges and stunted 

evergreens, from which 
are occasional vistas of 
the bay. As we were 
following this country 
street with no distinc¬ 
tive aim, we came to a 
small hamlet of which 
we had never heard 
and whose existence we 
never had suspected. It 
was Spruce Head, one 
of those delightful little 
fishing villages which seem so happy and simple in their life,— 
places, as it were, in a happier, more natural world, and all un¬ 
planned and placed hap-hazard among the rocks. 

As we have indicated, Rockland possesses the usual fishing indus¬ 
tries common to our coast. There is one besides which is confined 
almost wholly to this 
section. We refer to 
the largest scallop fish¬ 
eries in the world, situ¬ 
ated in Penobscot Bay 
some eight miles out 
from this harbor,—the 
very same location, it 
happens, where the most 
of our battleships and 
other naval craft make 
their trial runs. It has 
been known for many years that the great bivalves inhabit the 
ocean bottom there, but the depth of the water which ranges from 
forty to ninety fathoms, prevented profitable fishing untiil the 
advent of the motor boat. 









COASTAL MAINE 


271 


Every calm winter morning there is a considerable stir in Rock¬ 
land harbor, and in the harbors of neighboring villages, as the 
scallop fishers are getting under way and leaving the bay. A pow¬ 
erful motor boat equipped with hoisting machinery, is a prime 
requisite. Two men also are essential and some of the boats carry 
four. When the fishing grounds are reached the “drag,” com¬ 
posed of an iron bar about four feet long to which is attached a 
big pocket of netting is thrown overboard and the work begins. 
The iron brings the drag to the bottom of the sea, and as it is 
drawn along, it loosens the scallops which naturally are scooped 
into the net pocket that follows. When the drag becomes heavy, 
the hoisting gear is set to work and the drag lifted and its contents 
dumped into the boat. Often several bushels of scallops are ob¬ 
tained at a single haul. The drag itself weighs about four hun¬ 
dred pounds, and when filled with scallops and what not, the 
weight to be lifted is not a ■ 

light one. One crew which 
thought it was bringing up a 
big haul was rather nonplussed 
to find in the net a rock that 
probably weighed three hun¬ 
dred pounds. There was a 
time not long ago when these 
fisheries were good for 500,- 
000 pounds of the shucked fish 
a year, but the destructive 
methods of fishing steadily are 
reducing the volume of this 
industry. 

In years past Rockland has 
been a rather lively political 
center and two United States 
senators and two congressmen, 
as well as a former governor 
of the State have been ac¬ 
credited to it. 

To seme people it may not be known that Maxine Elliott, the 
celebrated actress, was born in Rockland. Her name was Jessie 



MAXINE ELLIOTT 




272 


COASTAL MAINE 


Dermott, and she is the daughter of a Rockland sea-captain. Her 
mother was Rockland-born. Captain Dermott moved to California 
and part of Maxine’s girlhood life was spent there. Her intro¬ 
duction to the theatrical world was in minor parts. On account 
of her aptness and application, she was advanced continuously and 
played in several leading companies. When she appeared with 
Nat Goodwin in Nathan Hale, she was hailed as a star. Her 
success in England was as gratifying as was that in her native 
land. Perhaps in no other country did she call forth greater 
admiration than in Germany. Von Lembach expressed the opinion 

that she was the most beautiful 
woman in the world. In her 
associations with her friends 
and the public the actress is as 
pleasing as she is beautiful and 
there is a largeheartedness in 
all that she does. She would 
not be true to the sea folk from 
whom she sprang if this were 
not so. 

May Dermott, Maxine’s 
younger sister, also was born 
at Rockland and under the 
name of Gertrude Elliott she 
pursued a professional stage 
career with eminent success. 
She made her debut at Sara¬ 
toga, and hailed as a theatrical 
star, she became well known 
throughout our own country. 
Later she gained equal fame in England playing in the company 
headed by Sir J. Forbes-Robertson. Gertrude Elliott was known 
as a woman of exceptional beauty and intellectual attainments, and 
now in her London home, as Lady Forbes-Robertson, she retains 
her former winsome personality and sterling character, and is a 
popular leader in British society. 

The roughest trip out from Rockland is to Matinicus and Crie- 
haven and the tiny islands that cluster around them. Matinicus 
is a small island, possibly two miles in length, and nowhere more 



GERTRUDE ELLIOTT 



COASTAL MAINE 


273 


than a mile in width. It is seventeen miles straight out from the 
main, a mere speck in a great sea. The remains of early stone 
houses were found there, but there is no tradition, even, that at¬ 
tempts to account for them. 

Probably they were reared to 
shelter some of the early fish¬ 
ermen from England, or 
France, or Holland. The peo¬ 
ple who came to live on these 
islands, as far as government 
was concerned, were left to 
themselves many years without 
paying taxes to Province or 
State. “They are a very in¬ 
dustrious, humane and moral 
people,” said an old writer, “living together in prosperity, quietude, 
and happiness, without law and without rules.” The present-day 
inhabitants of both islands number about two hundred souls, all of 
whom, save a very few traders, are honest fishermen. The insular 
character of this group is more pronounced than even that of 

Monhegan and all the men 
are seamen of the first water. 
They still tell the story of a 
lighthouse keeper on Matinicus 
Rock, five miles from Matini¬ 
cus, who started to row over 
to the latter island in a south¬ 
easter; and they say that his 
boat capsized, that he righted 
her, bailed her out, swam to 
get his oars, and all undis¬ 
turbed, finished his trip in 
safety. The fishermen on Matinicus and Criehaven own finely 
equipped motor boats and at certain seasons of the year go far 
asea. Often their life is filled with excitement and danger, but 
they appear to give such matters but little thought. 

Even the isolated position of Matinicus did not protect it from 
Indian disaster. As late as 1757 an attack was made on the house 
of Ebenezer Hall and a few days later he was killed. One boy 



Photo by Long 

A WHARF AT MATINICUS 








274 


COASTAL MAINE 


escaped, but Mrs. Hall and five children were taken captive. Some¬ 
where in the valley of the Penobscot she was separated from the 
remnant of her family. Conspicuous for her goodness, intelli¬ 
gence, and beauty, Mrs. Hall was generously ransomed by a cer¬ 
tain Captain Walkins who chanced to be in that region, and placed 
aboard a vessel bound for England. Thence she took passage to 
New York, and finally arrived at Falmouth after an absence of 
thirteen months. Inquiries for her five lost children were plied 
diligently and earnestly, but she never could learn anything con¬ 
cerning them. With the son who had escaped, she returned to 
Matinicus, built another house, and resided there until her death. 



EASTERN HARBOR, CRIEHAVEN 

One of the old writers when speaking of the bay of the Penob¬ 
scot said: “The bay is full of great islands of one, two, six, eight, 
or ten miles in length which divide it into many faire and excellent 
good harbors. On the east are the Tarrantines where inhabit the 
French, as they report, that live with those people as one nation 
and family.” In that time the whole region was a country of 
interesting legend and mystery. To-day with a more complete 
knowledge, we can say that nowhere is Nature more winsome or 
more individual to her lovers than in Penobscot Bay, and that the 
true-hearted suitor can pass day after day there within the spell of 
her charms, so varied is the beauty, so great the expanse. 









COASTAL MAINE 


275 


Just when the morning sun emerges from the eastern waves 
to cast a sparkle over the sea and the tonic morning air gives 
renewed alertness and vivacity to the tourist, a staunch little steamer 
leaves Rockland harbor and after passing Munroe Island, heads 
for the open sea. Thus it appears, but in reality she is crossing 
a broad and rather exposed portion of Penobscot Bay and is bound 
for the group of islands seen indistinctly to the eastward. Sud¬ 
denly right beside the steamer’s course the surf breaks and boils 
over a jagged ledge all awash with foam, and known far and near 
as The Drunkard; and as the foaming water momentarily recedes 
to the lower sea as if 
swallowed at one gulp, 
the new-comer can not 
restrain the ejaculation 
“What an old drunkard 
he is!” In the next 
moment The Fiddler 
comes to view,—an¬ 
other surging reef sur¬ 
mounted by a beacon. 

The people hereabout, 
so we have heard it 
averred, tell their chil¬ 
dren and credulous travelers that in old times a drunken captain 
ran his vessel on these rocks and fiddled merrily as his ship pounded 
against the ledge, and when she at length floated off, immediately 
she ran upon The Drunkard and went down. The swift little 
boat is now abreast the Sugar Loaves,—bold bare rocks, mountain¬ 
shaped, sea-pounded, as solid apparently as the foundations of the 
world. No sooner are they passed from sight than the boat is 
caressed by sunbeams and pleasant breezes as it glides closely to a 
fresh green shore and later enters a narrow channel between 
North Haven and Vinalhaven that is known to mariners as Fox 
Island Thoroughfare. Old Martin Pring’s voyage was longer 
and more difficult when he came to these islands in 1603. 
“We named one of them ‘Fox Island,’ ” he said, “because we 
saw those kind of beasts thereon.” The name he bestowed is 
now given to the entire archipelago that is grouped in this part 
of the bay. 



MATINICUS ROCK 




276 


COASTAL MAINE 


“North Haven is quite a summer resort and a great place for 
windmills,” one of the old residents informed us. Even so. Both 
are in evidence, the latter in bold relief against the sky. “Is this 
Deutschland?” we asked a little girl on her way to school. We 
supposed she would be puzzled by such a foolish question. 

“Oh, no! I think the windmills in Holland are not on such 
high land,” replied the bright little lass as she trudged on her way. 

In a more remote part of the island is Pulpit Harbor, where the 
fisherman and farmer hold sway and the neat white houses are 
scattered about in true down-east fashion. It is a wonder the city 
people have not invaded this village, inasmuch as the scenery is the 
best to be found in this vicinity. Pulpit Rock arises in a well 

protected basin, and 
beyond to the east is 
the never-ending fasci¬ 
nation of blending sea 
and land with the dis¬ 
tant blue Camden Hills 
to complete the back¬ 
ground. 

When I was at North 
Haven a dozen years 

PULPIT HARBOR, NORTH HAVEN ferryman “set” 

me across The Reach— 
otherwise Fox Island Thoroughfare—to Vinalhaven Island where 
I hired a “rig” to go to Vinalhaven village at the opposite end 
of the island. I suppose all that sort of business is changed 
now. The road, once entered, winds through the woods and up 
every hill. Were it not for the sun, a stranger would have little 
or no idea of direction. The course is as crooked and mysterious as 
a maze, but it comes out right at the end. Along the roadsides are 
hundreds of iron telephone poles set into the drilled rocks. If called 
to court, no traveler here would hesitate to testify to the very sub¬ 
stantial character of this island. A few minutes since the sea was 
all in view, but now one is surrounded by the forest and as inno¬ 
cent of the ocean as if he were among the foothills of Vermont. 
In one place the highway makes a graceful sweep and skirts Round 
Pond, a veritable little Lake of the Woods. There is no voice to 
be heard and the nearest habitation is several miles away. Tall 





COASTAL MAINE 


277 


trees line the shore of the pond and seem to intensify the silence. 
On the nearer side are delicate little lily pads to delight the eye, but 
clear-cut boulders mark the further banks. In pleasant surprise one 
almost expects the water sprites to rise from the placid surface and 
the genius of the place to come forth and grace the occasion. 

If you chance to journey this way in September you are sure 
to find heavily laden blackberry bushes overhanging the fences and 
ditches, and you either are foolish or exceptionally strong-willed 
if you do not yield to the temptation and eat your fill. What 
good things nature gives us! Certainly, bigger, juicier, sweeter 
blackberries never grew. 

Arrived at the village of Vinalhaven, the visitor is not at loss 
to determine the chief industry of the place. Look where he will, 
he sees great scars on the sides of the adamantine hills and lofty 
derricks standing there¬ 
in. Great solids of 
granite, gray and red, 
and blocks and frag¬ 
ments of every shape 
litter the way. Even 
the harbor wharves are 
constructed of granite 
and faced with piling. 

In these yards have been 
quarried and chiseled 
the largest columns and 
shafts ever utilized in the New World, even surpassing the obelisks 
of Egypt in size. In the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in 
New York, the huge monoliths on three sides of the altar of 
the choir, each more than fifty-four feet in height and weigh¬ 
ing approximately one hundred and twenty tons, came from 
Vinalhaven. Likewise the five massive eagles of stone adorn¬ 
ing the post office in Buffalo, the granite composing the State 
Capitol at Albany, Grant’s monument, the Philadelphia mint, and 
several large government buildings at Washington and Annapolis, 
all came from this town. Sit down on a hard stone block in any 
of the quarries and converse for a while with a down-east stone 
cutter and you can learn of almost any granite structure of im¬ 
portance in St. Louis, or New York, or Chicago, or wherever it 








278 


COASTAL MAINE 


may be; and moreover your informant invariably can tell you which 
company “got the job” of supplying the material. In other Amer¬ 
ican states and cities, go wherever you will, and regarding the mas¬ 
sive and noted edifices of granite which you will see, inquiry very 
likely will elicit the information that the building material came 
from Maine. The business in granite has long been one of the 
leading industries of the State, and in 1890 Maine was first among 
the states in production with a trade totalling $2,689,000. Now the 
returns are greatly diminished. Concrete and artificial stone have 
not succeeded in killing the granite business, and will not, but these 
new products have given the older industry some walloping blows. 

The harbor at Vinalhaven seems to have crawled in between the 
ledges and island and filled a basin of exceedingly irregular shape. 
Wolfish rocks are aplenty, and the course leading out between 
them seems eccentric enough to give a pilot nervous prostration. 
We are assured, however, that the port is a good one, and certainly 
at times it is well filled with shipping. 



VINALHAVEN 

The village is modern, but there is an unconventional order in 
its streets, a something of a different nature from the direct ways 
of the busy world. Nowhere, perhaps, is this tendency more exem¬ 
plified among the larger villages of our State than in.Vinalhaven. 
Little streets turn in right angles, curve off in arcs of circles, and 
wind in other lines not easy to classify, to return somewhere to the 
main street, mayhap, or more likely, to end in some pasture lane. 
Now and then a little ingenuity is required in studying out the way 
of approach to some of the houses. This rather unusual plan, or 
custom, of placing houses in odd locations is carried to its climax a 
little outside of the village on the south shore, where almost with¬ 
out exception the people have placed their abodes close down to the 






COASTAL MAINE 


279 


sea at the termini of little side roads, often half a mile in length, 
all leading from the main thoroughfare. Here the coast dwellers 
constantly have before themselves those scenes which other people 
comes miles to view, the storm, the gentle ripples, the whitecaps, 
the soft blue, in winter, in summer, in every mode; sometimes 
the clear atmosphere that brings distant islands close to hand, some¬ 
times the heavily laden atmosphere that dips into the water so 
insensibly that no one can tell where one ends and the other begins. 
There is always variety in the picture. Here are paintings more 
true, more artistic in every sense than a Morgan or a Widener 
with unstinted wealth can buy, and all the heritage of the fisher¬ 
man. And at night as the eyes of the children close in rest, each 
little mind is lulled by the music of the waves. Should he awake 
at midnight, from his window the father may follow the pale 
path of the moon across the flood and hear the wash against the 
rocks, and from the distance the muffled sound of the sea. 

Westward of Vinalhaven Island, a short distance away. Hurri¬ 
cane Island stands out in full view. Its name is no misnomer. 
At first glance a stranger would think it had been scalped by a 
hurricane and then fallen upon and hacked to pieces by some 
relentless Titan. Deep, ragged cuts have spoiled the symmetry 
of the hillside. Quarrying is the only industry here. Granite 
for a century past has been taken from this island, but the supply 
never will be exhausted. On the face of the entire island there 
is scarcely a patch of earth big enough for a respectable garden. 
Only a few scattering trees maintain a foothold in the crevices 
and fissures of the ledges. Up on the dome of the hill is a small 
village, now almost entirely deserted, whose streets mostly are 
formed of the bare smooth rock. No artificial walks are needed 
here, nor is much concern given to street-cleaning, since every rain 
forms torrents of water which course down the streets and carry all 
refuse into the ocean. T'he island is steep and high, and almost at 
the summit is a tiny lake, and also a cleft between perpendicular 
ledges, through which passes the one main highway of the island. 

From the summit one gets a view that is worth a day’s journey 
to see. Hurricane is a small insular fragment of our world’s 
surface and is surrounded by yet smaller fragments. They are 
visible all about, ledges and treeless islands at the south, round 
wooded islands—very pretty islands—at the north; and over across 


280 


COASTAL MAINE 


the water is Rockland and the engaging shores of Penobscot Bay. 

Again we sail from Rockland past the long breakwater and turn 
northeast. Charming islands covered with evergreen stand on the 
west and farther up the bay pleasant New England villages are 
discerned. Our course ahead appears clear, although concerning 
hidden dangers we will allow that the pilot knows best. In half 
an hour somehow a semicircle of islands has formed before us, 
and a bell buoy set to port is forever sending its clanging sounds 

of warning over the water, 
sounds always sounding and 
for the most part in solitude 
unheard. The islands be¬ 
come thicker yet, the end of 
Islesboro is rounded and in 
a few minutes the steamer’s 
cable is thrown on the wharf 
at Dark Harbor. 

Islesboro is situated well up 
in the bay which it divides 
into two ship channels. A 
number of smaller islands are 
tributary and help to form 
the insular town. The In¬ 
dian name was Argonencey. 
In 1556 Thevet related: 
“About three leagues up the 
river there is an island which 
the natives call Arogascon. 
It would be easy to plant 
upon the island and to build 
a fortress which would hold 
in check the whole surrounding country.” Settlers came early, and 
although they did not take Thevet’s words in the sense he conveyed, 
they nevertheless thought “it would be easy to plant upon the island” 
and we are informed that in colonial times Islesboro raised one 
thousand bushels of wheat annually. At the present time there is 
a fair acreage of farm land, well cultivated and productive. 

This island is twelve miles long and not wide in any part,— 
indeed at the narrows, half way up, the land is only of sufficient 





COASTAL MAINE 


281 


width to allow the passage of the highway. Dark Harbor, our 
landing place, is purely a summer resort, somewhat improved by 
artificial beauty, largely unimproved, and presenting a variety 
of water vistas. The summer homes of some of the wealthiest 
and most distinguished Americans occupy the favored sites facing 
the bay, and without exception Dark Harbor is the most exclusive 
resort of the Maine coast. Making no mention of short branch 
roads, one principal street extends the length of the island. The 
land is well wooded with both deciduous and evergreen trees, and 
the general appearance is that of an old settled coast town. Were 
it elsewhere than on the Maine coast, Islesboro has enough of head¬ 
lands and irregularity of coastline to make it noteworthy, but in 
comparison with the Fox group and other islands of this bay, its 
natural features may be said to be pleasing rather than rugged. 

Three miles from Dark Harbor is the principal village and 
center of the town; and at the end of a branch road leading to 
a small cove is Gilkey’s Harbor near which John Gilkey, one of 
the first settlers of Islesboro, reared his rude home. He had a 
hard struggle to support his family which included five small chil¬ 
dren. One day while he was working in his field a British priva¬ 
teer came into the harbor and landed a few men who seized 
Gilkey and impressed him as a sailor under the British flag. Mrs. 
Gilkey and her children were left to carry on the fight for exist¬ 
ence as best they could. To make the situation darker, not long 
after the impressment of Gilkey some English landed and butchered 
the only cow that belonged to the family. The mother with the 
tears streaming down her face told the seamen that her children 
would starve if the family was deprived of the cow, but her en¬ 
treaties were of no avail. After an absence of three years the 
husband and father was allowed to return to his home. 

In the shallow water of the Narrows lie the hulls of some old 
coasters, all unhonored by deserved funeral rites and offerings, and 
abandoned to undergo the slow and hateful process of disintegra¬ 
tion. Like old Barbarossa of the mountain, there they must wait 
another hundred years, when perchance the forces of sun and storm 
and frost will inter them beneath the waves. 

There are so many places to visit in Islesboro, and so much 
scenic charm, both of the island and its environs, to explore, that 
a visitor naturally wishes to spend a whole summer there. Every 


282 


COASTAL MAINE 


mile of land with its rocky little heads and snatches of sand beaches 
gives a variety not often found, even on Maine shores. The 
entire town from Dark Harbor to Turtle Head is to be classed 
among the rare treasures of our State. In thinking back to the 
renewed bodily vigor we found there, we fully agree with, ^and 
affirm the truthfulness of the old historian who wrote that “the 
air of these islands is remarkable healthful.” 

“And not less fair the winding ways 
Of Casco and Penobscot Bays, 

They seek for happier shores in vain 
Who leave the summer isles of Maine.” 

There are various ways of approaching Rockport and Camden, 
but the route par excellence is from Rockland by water. The 
soul is dead in the person who is not awakened by the beauty of 
this region. After we have known it there is nothing else that 
can quite fill the place of Camden-by-the-Sea. Nowhere else do 

we find such an unusual 
union of ocean and 
mountains, — and not 
merely one or two iso¬ 
lated peaks, but indeed 
a whole mountain range 
rising abruptly almost 
from the harbor itself, 
leaving scarcely enough 
level land whereupon a 
village could be reared. 
But the village is there 
and it is one of the few coast villages that shows no lassitude due to 
the decline of shipping. In truth we find here a growing town of 
diversified industry,—the most prosperous center between Portland 
and Calais. With a real western spirit, every Camden citizen is 
a booster and speaks of his town in enthusiastic terms, a character¬ 
istic that many another Maine town or city might acquire to good 
advantage. The hill slopes about the shore and the points of land 
jutting into the bay are generally utilized for country seats of 
people whose names in some instances would be recognized in 
every township and hamlet in the United States. 






COASTAL MAINE 


283 


Mount Battle whose roots literally are planted in one side of 
the village, boasts a stone memorial tower on its summit and a 
good road for vehicles, as well as a footpath leading thereto. 
With some ado I found the latter and made my way to the top. 
For the first moment I looked 
straight up to the frowning 
brow of old Megunticook, the 
mountain lord of the range 
and towering well above the 
other peaks; then with expect¬ 
ant mind I took a prolonged 
glance down over the bay. 

Quickly I recognized the long 
outline of Islesboro scarcely 
above the level of the water. 

When I had made a more, 
thorough survey, I was disap¬ 
pointed. I could see far over 
Penobscot Bay, and the islands 
appeared long and parallel, 
breaking the calm sea in a tire¬ 
some sameness instead of the 
dazzling diversity which I had 
expected. It appeared a sort 
of cut and dried arrangement, 
such as we see in the plan 

disappointment however was 
short-lived. It was early morning and the appreciation of the 
place came stealing in upon me. The eastern sun illumed all the 
land and water and my mind became so engrossed in the wide 
range in front of me that I soon decided that it was quite past 
my power of description and quite the equal of any water view 
I had ever seen. Every contour was visible from Monhegan to 
Mount Desert, from smoky Rockland to drowsy Castine, and very 
close at hand was Rockport with its limekilns and its exquisite 
setting on the border of the bay. But we ought not to praise the 
ocean environment of Camden to the exclusion of its other attrac¬ 
tions, nor indeed must we think of it as only a seaport town. The 


of city streets. My sense of 



The Potter Studio, Camden 
MAIDEN CLIFF AND LAKE 
MEGUNTICOOK 





284 


COASTAL MAINE 


region is richly and beautifully broken with lakes and in close 
proximity, the one with the other, lakes and mountains combine to 
present us views that are not outrivaled in the State. 

In the Revolutionary struggle these villages were so near to the 
British, who had over-ran the eastern part of Maine, that they 
were harassed constantly by the English vessels that were wont to 
come and plunder everything of value within their reach. In 
short, they gathered up all kinds of goods so closely that the people 
of Camden designated them “shaving mills.” When the news of 
peace reached this town at night, the inhabitants immediately gath¬ 
ered to express their impromptu joy. A barrel of new rum was 
tapped at the military post in Rockport and the celebration was kept 

up until morning. If 
we have not been grow¬ 
ing braver since that 
time, we certainly have 
been growing better. 

The same troubles 
with added dangers 
came in the War of 
1812. Nearby Castine 
was occupied by the en¬ 
emy. Prize ships were 
taken both by our people 
and the British. Several cannon were planted on the summit of 
Mount Battie and shots were exchanged in skirmishes in this vicin¬ 
ity. The news of the Treaty of Ghent was brought by the stage- 
driver at midnight and soon the folks were all astir and guns were 
a-firing, bonfires were a-burning, and boys were a-shouting. The 
cannon thundered on the mountain and their volleys continued all 
the next day. 

After the War of 1812 the men of Camden like those of many 
other towns refused to obey the summons to military training. 
At the first muster, however, they did come, and in fantastic array. 
One in place of a knapsack would have a salt-fish, another would 
have a caudal appendage of some sort, and throughout the whole 
muster the proceedings virtually were in contempt of military 
orders. On a high pair of wheels a piece of gun-barrel, one and 
a half feet long, was mounted in place of a cannon. The colonel 





COASTAL MAINE 


285 


rode an old blind horse and one of his aides carried a bundle of 
hay. Such misbehavior caused fines to be imposed and papers to 
be served in the different towns. The collection of the money 
was put into the hands of a sheriff. At Camden he was advised 
to desist from the duties of his office, and afterwards at the village 
tavern he was greeted with a volley of eggs. His hat containing 
the summons was knocked off and destroyed. Two years later 
the men of Camden again were called to the muster. While the 
companies were forming in ranks, a band of Megunticook Indians 
ran out of the woods and drove the officers away, although, strange 
to say, there had been no Indians in the vicinity of Camden for 
many years. 



A SHORE ROAD IN STONINGTON 


From Vinalhaven we took the boat to Stonington, a town which 
occupies the southern half of Deer Island, and is about twelve 
miles from the main land. W^e had been told that we were 
going to “a granite town.” It is safe to say nobody has seen 
another place like it. Years ago there was only a hillside of bald. 




286 


COASTAL MAINE 


sloping granite, with blueberry bushes here and there and a few 
shrubbish evergreens. In such a place residences and business 
houses have been builded along streets that overlook one another,— 
streets cut through the rock and bridging chasms with a semblance 
of regularity save where a turn is made to avoid some really 
insuperable obstacle. A few of the scattering firs are left yet, 
enough to remind a person that he is in the country “of the pointed 
fir.” In such a village as this the comfortable resident may sit 
by his window, or on his piazza, and enjoy the sea zephyrs to his 
heart’s content, but if he looks for green spacious lawns and gar¬ 
dens, he looks in vain. 

When business is good Stonington is a lively town, lively enough 
to run away from the average inland village and pass far from 
sight, but when work becomes slack it is in the doldrums. One 
of the best equipped granite plants found anywhere is at Stoning¬ 
ton. Boatloads of workmen come and go in the harbor, and the 
shops and stores are filled with hustle and life. And although away 
down in eastern Maine where perhaps the old Anglo-Saxon stock 
comprises a larger per cent of the population than anywhere else 
north of Mason and Dixon’s line, yet in the streets of Stonington 
a Yankee is as likely to hear the language of southern Europe as 
his own tongue. 

Again we boarded the boat and continued in the same general 
direction for ten miles or more, and apparently all the while were 
heading straight to sea. Twilight began to gather and a wonder¬ 
ful tinting overspread the clouds of the evening sky. A lighthouse 
from an unexpected headland close by flashed its warning beams 
across the waters. The pilot turned his course, rounded the head, 
entered a sheltered bay and made the landing at Swan’s Island. 

An early morning walk hereabouts discovers to the new-comer 
a change from the high, rocky islands that generally predominate 
in this part of the bay, to some real soil and a shore that is less 
rugged and forbidding. A century and a quarter ago a Mr. Swan 
came here to develop the island and to farm on an extensive scale. 
The distance from good markets and other adverse circumstances 
tended to make the venture unprofitable. “The soil of the coast 
is hard and reluctant to the plow,” said the historian Williamson. 
Whether the statement be generally true, or not, the inhabitants 
of Swan’s Island appear to have accepted it, and at present agri- 


COASTAL MAINE 


287 


culture is practiced only on a very limited scale. There is a 
granite quarry of some importance, but fishing is the principal 
business of the island. 

From the first hilltop that is gained, with the vast ocean waters 
in view, it is evident that Swan’s Island is a place of extensive 
outlook. Some of the vacationists who come here declare the place 
has no equal. There are others who favor Menon, a hamlet on 
the other side of the harbor, while not a few sound the praises of 
Atlantic, a little paradise of quiet and rural background with the 
easy shores and beauty of southern Mount Desert Island full in 
view. The island homes are commodious and well provided with 
modern furnishings, even to the telephone which you would not 
expect to find on an island so far from the mainland. In spite 
of their remote location the thrifty people of this plantation are 
as up-to-date as any island or country community in the vicinity 
of Portland. 

From Vinalhaven, and in fact from numerous localities in this 
vicinity, the visitor’s eye is attracted by an island of great height 
and size and boldness, situated off some twenty miles, it may be, 
to sea. It is Isle au Haut and received its name from Champlain 
more than three centuries ago. With the single exception of 
Mount Desert, in its size and rugged beauty it excels the other 
islands of our State. The island is comparatively uninhabited and 
in an intimate sense, unknown. It presents the greatest opportunity 
for exploitation as a resort that remains to our Maine coast. 

Some miles up the Penobscot from Camden, on a straight, high 
shore is Northport, for a long time celebrated as a camp-meeting 
ground where in years past many a sinner has squirmed on the 
anxious seat and directed his too-worldly mind to heavenly thoughts. 
Doubtlessly Northport has prospered more than its projectors antici¬ 
pated and perhaps more than they have desired. The whole vicin¬ 
ity about the grove is filled with cottages and summer homes and 
bears the aspect of a recreation resort far more than that of a 
religious meeting place. Camp-meetings are held here still, but 
in the present surroundings it is unlikely that spiritual awaken¬ 
ing can compete very successfully with the pleasures of a thought¬ 
less people. 

The next town up the river is Belfast. Scotch-Irish folk from 
Londonderry, New Hampshire, came and located here. The settle- 


288 


COASTAL MAINE 



A BELFAST RESIDENCE 


ment was made in 1770 and was named Belfast in remembrance of 
the city in Ireland of that name. On account of its comparatively 
late beginning Belfast was not harassed by the Indians, as towns 
farther west in Maine had suffered. At the outbreak of the 

Revolution when this part of 
the State was lost temporarily 
to the enemy, the citizens 
refused to take the oath of 
allegiance to the king and 
abandoned the place for a 
few years. After the war 
most of the owners returned 
and resumed their work. 
Mail service commenced in 
1794 and a regular post serv¬ 
ice was established about thirty years afterwards. The town took 
sufficient root so that bridges, schools and other improvements came 
along rapidly after the first few years of the nineteenth century. 
The first church was built in 1809 and others soon followed. 
Training day was burlesqued, as at Camden. One recruit pre¬ 
sented himself with a shoe on one foot, the pants’ leg cut off at 
the knee; an old boot 
was on the other foot 
and a jug was slung 
over his shoulders in 
place of a knapsack. 

Another wore huge 
epaulets made of bur¬ 
dock burrs, and a third 
soldier encircled his hat 
with a band of birch 
bark and wore a cow’s 
tail (so it is said) in¬ 
stead of a feather. 

The present city of Belfast is a fairly progressive municipality 
and is not lacking in industry. It is a beautiful city with streets 
of old colonial homes and fine shade trees. It has much that 
other towns in this region do not have. Recently a memorial 
bridge in honor of the heroes of Waldo County who perished in 



Copyrighty Chas. A. Townsend, Belfast 
MEMORIAL BRIDGE, BELFAST 







COASTAL. MAINE 


289 


the World War has been builded here. Belfast once enjoyed 
more enterprising days, and after various flirtations with fortune, 
it yet holds its own and perhaps advances a little. In our public 
life it has taken a prominent part and has contributed four con¬ 
gressmen and one governor of our State. Nowadays, even, although 
the town may appear rather quiet, the citizens now and then have 
a way of relieving the monotony by engaging in a lively political 
scrap. In Harrison-and-Tyler days a log cabin from which hard 
cider was dispensed freely was escorted with much gusto from 
Montville to Belfast, and a flash of the old spirit lives still. 

The physical makeup of the city is a bit peculiar. The business 
center is at the intersection of two streets instead of stringing along 
one long street after the 
characteristic fashion of 
the smaller Maine cities. 

The residential part is 
located on the brow of 
a hill, and the houses 
are placed in little 
squares and rectangles, 
often with only two 
or three in a block. 

This position overlook¬ 
ing the bay is ideal and 
with good reason is ap¬ 
preciated by the people 
of Belfast. We believe that the sun glows here more warmly 
and pleasantly than elsewhere in northern climes and throws a 
restful balmy aspect upon the water and land while the incoming 
breezes often bring the suggestion of southern winds. Beautiful 
curvings and undulations of the shore add their charm to the sunny 
blue sea, and it is easy to understand how Belfast sea captains have 
sailed to foreign ports and have returned to the dear old home and 
have declared that these waters vie in beauty with the far-famed 
Bay of Naples. 

Eastward on the shores of the bay are the old seaport villages 
of Searsport and Stockton Springs. These towns—particularly the 
latter—came into prominence a few years ago as prospective rail¬ 
road terminals and ports of commerce. The railroad system that 



Copyright, Chas. A. Townsend, Belfast 
BELFAST HARBOR 


11 




290 


COASTAL MAINE 


serves northern Maine had no seaport of its own and was much 
at the mercy of the lines connecting with it. It seemed necessary 
to seek an outlet station belonging to the system itself. Stockton 

Springs, which has an 
excellent harbor, was se¬ 
lected, and much of the 
desired land was pur¬ 
chased quietly by the 
railroad. When the 
townspeople discovered 
what really was going 
on, the somnambulant 
old town awakened with 
a start and a land boom 
commenced in real ear¬ 
nest. A large number 
of laborers were engaged in the different works incident to the 
plan, such as the construction of terminal storehouses and sub¬ 
stantial wharves. Aroostook business men erected “potato houses” 
for the storage of their staple crop and everything seemed to be 
going along well. The extension of the railroad from Northern 
Maine Junction was completed with expedition, and the seaport 
towns, naturally with some feeling of elation, found themselves 
aligned with the rail system of a continent. Much was expected. 

The looked-for development of the ports did not materialize. 
New agreements for freight transportation very likely were made 
by the connecting railroad systems, and traffic continued to follow 
the old established lines so that to-day the business which passes 
through Stockton Springs to the ocean is inconsiderable. But it is 
altogether possible that changing circumstances and new conditions 
will make this terminal a place of prime importance. 

Somewhere about Stockton Springs—the change is so gradual 
that we scarcely know where—we quit the bay and begin to ascend 
the Penobscot. Father Biard in his time wrote that “the Pentegoet 
is a very fine river and can be likened to the French Garonne.” 
Everywhere we are surrounded with the scenery of New England’s 
most beautiful river and again we think of the reports of old 
explorers who said that here was a situation suitable for the capital 
of a mighty empire. 




COASTAL MAINE 


291 


When Governor Pownall, of colonial fame, was in this region 
he went up the river to a point a little above the site of present- 
day Brewer, and to him probably we are indebted for the part of 
our country which lies east of the Penobscot. When the Treaty 
of Paris was being framed, the English ministers opposed the 
American claim relating to this territory and asserted that the land 
east of the river had belonged to France. John Adams im¬ 
mediately produced Governor Pownall’s record, and since the 
journal of a former English governor hardly could be gainsaid, 
the region between the Penobscot and St. Croix was saved to our 
nation. 

Just before reaching Bucksport the river channel contracts be¬ 
tween high, rugged banks and leaving behind a pretty forest coun¬ 
try, the steamer enters a spacious triangular basin. On the western 
shore, very close at 
hand, is old Fort Knox 
whose forbidding walls 
are as perfect and grim 
as when they were 
erected years ago. From 
a military point the fort 
is now worthless, but 
from the standpoint of 
interest, it vies with 
any of the other for¬ 
tifications of Maine. 

Straight ahead up the river is Bucksport village, and on the third 
leg of the triangle is the island town of Verona, whence was 
launched the Roosevelt, Admiral Peary’s exploration ship. 

In 1759 Governor Pownall builded a considerable stronghold 
at Fort Point, now a part of Stockton, but the quiet old town of 
Bucksport has long held the position of pre-eminence in this local¬ 
ity. Colonel Jonathan Buck came hither from Haverhill and set 
up a sawmill. From him the growing and prosperous village 
took its name. Indeed, Colonel Buck was the leading spirit of 
the place and the magistrate to whom was delegated the settlement 
of disputes and the writing of legal papers. Within the shade of 
some pines beside the long village street is his burial place; and 
on the weathered granite shaft erected in remembrance of him is 



Eastern Illustrating Co., Belfast 
FORT KNOX 




292 


COASTAL MAINE 


the distinct likeness of a woman’s stocking. When living in 
Massachusetts, Colonel Buck was called upon in his official capacity 
to execute a woman condemned for witchcraft, and on the scaffold 
she uttered a curse on him. Bucksport people know the story well 
and often refer to the “witch’s curse.” After the monument was 
placed in position the outline of the stocking appeared. Descend¬ 
ants of the colonel made efforts to efface it, but in vain. The 
figure is plainly visible and will not out. 

Doubtlessly with the shifting of the years, some of Bucksport’s 
importance, relatively speaking, has passed away, but it remains a 
town of considerable influence. It is well known as an educa¬ 
tional center and is a favorite residential center in this part of the 
State for people who have acquired considerable wealth. After 
all, perhaps Bucksport owes as much of its celebrity abroad to Old 
Jed Prouty as to its commerce, its seminary, or its natural charm. 
This favorite down-east character play has been presented, I judge, 
in every township of account in the United States, and it makes 
prominent mention of Bucksport. Of course the piece is idealistic. 
I looked about Bucksport to see if I could find the counterpart of 
Old Jed, or the weak, dishonest lawyer, or any of the others; 
and aside from the bright waitress and the roguish children, I 
did not find them, nor have I found them in Maine. The village 
hostelry is more than locally famous as the Jed Prouty tavern and 
it deservedly bears a good repute; but here again I was unable to 

see the resemblance. Though 
old-fashioned and homelike, 
the hotel is quite up-to-date, 
and when I went to pay my 
bill, I learned that dinner was 
not served for a quarter, the 
price which was charged in the 
play. 

Up the river we pass the 
quarry town of Frankfort and 
the compact, cosey village of 
Winterport, famous back in shipbuilding times; hence past the two 
villages of Hampden and in a trice we are running up to the pier 
at Bangor,—such is the pleasant remembrance that comes back, 
vision-like, in after years. 



APPROACHING WINTERPORT 




COASTAL MAINE 


293 


It was Milton who wrote: 

“Now from the North 
Of Norumbega and the Samoed Shore, 

Bursting their dungeons, arm’d with ice,” etc. 

Whence came the name of Norumbega, or what it signifies, we 
do not know. At an early date this “barbarous name” was indefi¬ 
nitely applied to the New England country, or possibly a wider 
region, and then became more and more restricted, until finally 
it embraced only our Penobscot territory. We are certain that 
Norumbega occurred on one map after another where a great river 
came down to the sea,—a river whose waters were so filled with 
fishes that navigation was impeded. Parmentier Dineppe in a 
manuscript dated 1539 wrote of Norumbega and stated that Verra- 
zano discovered the place and took possession of it in the name of 
the king of France. He added that the name was given to the 
territory by the natives. Again Norumbega was featured in a 
little book of the date of 1559 of unknown authorship. Jean 
Alphonse, the master of Robenstal’s expedition to Canada, wrote 
a description of the land and river of Norumbega which was so 
plain that the place easily could be identified by subsequent ex¬ 
plorers, and he mentioned that up the river fifteen leagues was a 
town “which is called Norumbega and there is in it a goodly people 
and they have many peltries of many kinds of furs.” Another 
old authority stated that Norumbega was “a city toward the north, 
which was known well enough by reason of a fair town and a 
great river.” Thevet wrote: “Here we entered a river which 
is one of the finest of the whole world. We call it Norumbega. 
It is marked on some charts the Grand River. The natives call 
it Argonencey. Several other beautiful rivers enter into it and 
upon its bank the French formerly erected a small fort about ten 
leagues from the mouth. It was called the fort of Norumbega 
and was surrounded by fresh water.” The fame of Norumbega 
grew and in Europe it was believed that here was a lordly city, 
opulent in treasure. Therein were splendid churches and palaces 
with pillars of crystal and silver. In his Principall Navigations 
Hakluyt related the story of a sailor named Ingraham who, 
having been left on shore by an exploring vessel, traversed 
the forests for miles and came by chance to Norumbega. He 


294 


COASTAL MAINE 


judged the distance through the city to be three-fourths of a mile, 
and he did not fail to mention the splendor of the place. He saw 
a peck of pearls and some most wonderful rubies. The inhabitants 
possessed ornaments of gold and the richest furs. 

Sir Humphrey Gilbert, incited by Hakluyt’s narration, set out 
to explore this wonderful land and took with him a poet, Par- 
menius by name, to sing the praises of the country; but he was 
less fortunate in locating the city than Ingraham had been, or 
else his imagination was not as ready, and all he had to record 
was that he could not find Norumbega. Afterwards Champlain 
engaged in the same quest. He ascended the river as far as the 
site of the present city of Bangor and found no city, nor any 
suggestion of one more than one or two wretched huts and a 
mouldering cross; and at the conclusion of his search he observed 
that those persons who had spoken of the splendors of Norumbega 
had never seen them, nor did they know more about them than he 
himself knew. 

In the middle period of the Revolutionary War a British fleet 
under General McLane sailed up Penobscot Bay and landed at 
Castine. After a short stay all the warships, excepting three sloops, 
departed. The occupation of Castine brought consternation to 
New England. Massachusetts hurriedly gathered nineteen armed 
vessels and dispatched the flotilla under the command of Commo¬ 
dore Saltonstall. Transports carrying nearly one thousand un¬ 
disciplined soldiers accompanied the expedition. General Lowell 
commanded the land forces and Adjutant General Peleg Wards- 
worth was second in command. Lieutenant Colonel Revere had 
charge of the ordnance. 

It is interesting to note that John Moore, afterwards the re¬ 
nowned Sir John Moore, was with the British. He was a lieu¬ 
tenant and paymaster when at Castine. 

After the fleet arrived off Castine, three days of ineffectual 
maneuvering and firing were completed before the coming of an 
opportune fog which enabled the Americans for a while to conceal 
their movements. Two hundred marines and two hundred soldiers 
were commanded to disembark. The peninsula was so defended 
that a landing was possible only on the western side where the shore 
rose very steeply to a considerable height. When the colonial 
forces left their boats and started up this ascent, over Dyce’s Head, 


COASTAL MAINE 


295 


the enemy stationed on the summit of the precipitous hill fired 
their musket balls down directly into the faces of their assailants. 
The Americans quickly divided into three divisions and the center 
engaged the English while the division on either side at a little 
distance from the center hastened up the high bank to its very top 



dyce’s head 


and closed in on both sides of the enemy. The British retreated 
immediately, leaving behind thirty men who were killed, wounded, 
or taken prisoners. The Americans, although they had gained 
their object, suffered even more severely. They lost more than 
fifty men. The entire action lasted only twenty minutes and 
it was one of the briskest and bravest of the minor engagements 
of the Revolution. 








296 


COASTAL MAINE 


At this time the British were not well prepared to ward off an 
attacking force. Their fort was not completed, nor fully armed. 
General Lowell and General Wardsworth were anxious to press 
the advantage gained and compel the stronghold to surrender; but 
Commodore Saltonstall, lacking the dash and skill possessed by so 
many of our naval fighters, worked to little purpose in the harbor 
and gave the land forces no effective support. 

Nevertheless the fort was besieged. The colonial forces worked 
through the nights throwing up zigzag entrenchments and approach¬ 
ing nearer to the walls of the fortress. The enemy outworks 
were reduced and some of their field pieces were taken. After 
a fortnight’s work the assailants were within seven hundred yards 
of the fort, but Saltonstall with his fleet of nineteen fighting ves¬ 
sels pitted against three sloops and the guns of Fort George did 
nothing except to cannonade the enemy from the bay. 

The general plan of the attack was sound and it should have 
succeeded, but the commodore’s delay and inaction proved to be 
its undoing. The British general received reinforcements from 
Halifax and it seemed prudent for our forces to retire while they 
could. Commodore Saltonstall arranged his fleet to protect the 
land forces while they should board their transports and make good 
their escape. But the British fleet in command of Sir George 
Collier, who had brought in the reinforcements, was now the 
stronger, and disaster followed the American ships from the mo¬ 
ment of the first broadside fired against them. It has been stated 
that the greater part of Saltonstall’s fleet scarcely fired a shot in 
defense. One of the ships was captured, two others ran ashore 
and were burned by their crews, another was burned out in the 
bay, and the remaining vessels escaped up the river and were 
burned or blown up to keep them from falling into the hands of 
the enemy. 

The fortifications at Castine were entrenched strongly now and 
the English proceeded to carry away cattle and to forage among 
the eastern villages and farms until many of the inhabitants were 
glad to abandon their homes and go to more western towns. 

General Wardsworth, whose aggressiveness at Castine had been 
commended, was put in command of the soldiery of the District 
of Maine with headquarters at Thomaston. It happened that soon 
after he was stationed at that post, the term of service of his six 


CASTINE 



N<- 













298 


COASTAL MAINE 


hundred soldiers expired and they retired from military duty, leav¬ 
ing the general and his family with a force of but six men. The 
English at Castine soon learned of Wardsworth’s defenseless con¬ 
dition and sent a detachment of twenty-five men under Lieutenant 
Stockton to capture him. The attack was made at midnight. It 
was in the season of midwinter and intensely cold. The sentinel 
who guarded General Wardsworth saw the body of soldiers ap¬ 
proaching and rushed into the kitchen, also used as a guard room, 
to give the alarm. There was little need of this for he was fol¬ 
lowed by a volley of musketry. The house was surrounded quickly 
and the windows smashed as bullets were fired into the bed-rooms 
occupied by the general’s family and by Miss Fenno who resided 
with the Wardsworths. Under the circumstances we might sup¬ 
pose that General Wardsworth would have surrendered. Not so. 
Instead of stopping to dress he seized a brace of pistols, a fusee, 
and a blunderbuss, and fought so vigorously that the foe was driven 
both from his window and the door. The British soldiers renewed 
the fight in the entry and our hero continued to defend himself 
valiantly until a musket ball fractured his arm and rendered him 
helpless. By this time nearly all his guard was disabled and the 
house was on fire, though happily none of the women or children 
were harmed. 

Wardsworth was informed that he must make haste to accom¬ 
pany his captors, sorely wounded though he was. Stockton would 
not listen to Mrs. Wardsworth’s entreaty to dress her husband’s 
hurt before he should start. He could not wear his coat, and all 
that was done was to bind a handkerchief over the wound to stay 
the blood to some degree and to throw over his shoulders a blanket 
to afford what protection from the cold it would. 

It happened that two British soldiers, who were injured in 
the fight, were placed on General Wardsworth’s horse and the 
general was made to begin afoot the four miles’ journey to the 
British boats. In a short time his strength ebbed so that he could 
go no farther. One of the soldiers was dismounted and General 
Wardsworth was put in his place. When the shore was reached, 
the captain of the privateer in which the soldiers had come from 
Castine approached the general and addressed him: 

“You damned rebel, go and help launch the boat, or I will run 
you through with my sword.” 


COASTAL MAINE 


299 


“I am your prisoner, wounded and helpless; you may treat me 
as you please,’’ was the simple response. 

At this juncture Lieutenant Stockton took a part in the con¬ 
versation which did him credit. “Your conduct shall be reported 
to your superiors,” said he to the captain. “The prisoner is a gen¬ 
tleman. He made a brave defense. He is entitled to be treated 
honorably.” 

Accordingly the general was given a berth in the cabin and 
afforded such comforts as the means at hand would allow. Next 
day when the vessel reached Castine, thronged at the time with 
officers, soldiers, sailors, and colonial Tories, the prisoners were 
landed and greeted with shouts of rage and expressions of con¬ 
tempt as they were conducted to the fort. 

The rigorous journey ended, a surgeon dressed the wound of 
the brave American general, treating him with all possible tender¬ 
ness, and General Campbell, now the commander of the forces 
at Castine, when he learned the story of the capture, was so 
impressed with Wardsworth’s courage that he compelled the cap¬ 
tain of the privateer to make him a fitting apology. The treat¬ 
ment accorded the general gave him no ground for complaint. 
He was given comfortable quarters and breakfasted and dined at the 
commander’s table. Books were provided him and he was allowed 
to send letters to his wife and the governor of Massachusetts. 

After General Wardsworth’s wound was healed so that he was 
restored to comparative comfort, Mrs. Wardsworth and Miss Fenno 
were allowed to make him a short visit, and Miss Fenno by clever 
stealth made him understand that he might expect to be sent to 
London where his chances of escaping the hangman would be slim 
enough. 

Immediately afterwards it happened that Major Benjamin Bur¬ 
ton of Cushing was captured, taken to Castine, and assigned as 
a room-mate to Wardsworth. Putting their faith in the old adage 
that two heads are better than one, the prisoners began to revolve 
means to regain freedom and safety. The situation was not 
encouraging. Their room was grated. The upper part of the 
door was of glass and a sentinel patrolled the corridor without. 
The walls of the fort were twenty feet in height and were sur¬ 
rounded by an abatis, a cheval-de-frise, and a moat. Sentinels 
were stationed on the walls and outside the portals leading from 


300 


COASTAL MAINE 


the fortress. Beyond the ditch were other sentries who watched 
throughout the night. Moreover, the peninsula had been severed 
from the mainland by a canal, or very wide ditch. With so many 
obstacles in the way the chances for escape seemed few and dubious, 
but we are relating the story of two daring men who were imbued 
with the spirit of Revolutionary days and not easily daunted nor 
afraid to risk all. 

The prisoners were in possession of a penknife and succeeded 
in obtaining a gimlet. With these slender implements they labored 
to effect their liberty. During three anxious weeks they cut around 
a piece of pine board in the ceiling of their room and filled each 
mark with moistened bread. It was in the days of June and a 
favoring night of thunder, tempest, and darkness arrived. The 
down-pouring clouds drove the soldiers who were outside to shelter. 
The prisoners removed the panel they had cut in the ceiling and 
standing on a chair, pulled themselves to the floor above. In the 
darkness they were separated. Wardsworth found a walk that led 
to the top of the wall. Fastening his blanket to a picket on the 
summit of the fortress, he lowered himself as far as he could 
and dropped into the ditch just in time to elude an approaching 

guard. Extracting him¬ 
self from that position, 
he cautiously crept for¬ 
ward beyond the sentry 
box and gained the open 
field. The tempest still 
swept the hill and the 
floodgates of the storm 
were open wide. Amid 
the darkness and confu¬ 
sion of the elements, 
Wardsworth contrived 
to find his way to an 
old guard house where 
the two men had planned to meet if they should become separated 
in their flight. There the general waited for half an hour and 
Major Burton did not come. Reluctantly and with sadness in 
his heart General Wardsworth hastened on in the belief that his 
comrade was lost. 



WARDSWORTH COVE, CASTINE 




COASTAL MAINE 


301 


It was low tide and in order to avoid the severed isthmus where 
in all likelihood a sentry was posted, Wardsworth started to wade 
across the cove to the opposite side in spite of the fact that the 
stretch of water was a quarter of a mile wide and in places deep 
enough to come up to his shoulders. Ignorant of his precise course 
in the darkness and storm, our hero must have wondered if he 



NORTHWEST CREEK, CASTINE 

ever could reach the opposite shore. Be that as it may, he did 
accomplish it, and by sunrise had reached the eastern bank of the 
Penobscot; and as he paused there considering what to do next, 
to his nearly unspeakable joy he saw Major Burton approaching 
through the forest. Thus happily reunited, the comrades found 
a canoe in which they crossed to the western side, barely escaping 



302 


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a barge which had been sent in pursuit of them. After a three 
days’ trip through the woods they reached the St. George in safety. 

In the War of 1812 the people of Castine again were alarmed 
by the appearance of a British fleet coming into the bay. The 
Americans held an earthwork which was armed with four twenty- 
four pounders and two field pieces. The commander saw no 
possible chance of making successful resistance, and having let go 
a volley from his cannon more to show his feeling toward the 
enemy than for any other reason, he blew up his redoubt and 
departed with his men up the river. 

The incoming armament consisted of nineteen armed vessels, 
some of which carried seventy-four guns, and transports bearing 
a force of more than thirty-five hundred soldiers. Sir John Sher¬ 
brooke was in command. 

Without delay two ships with six hundred men crossed the bay 
and took Belfast. The next day one of the larger battleships, 
accompanied by some of the smaller, took Frankfort on their way 
up the Penobscot. At Hampden, the next town above, lay the 

corvette John Adams, 
dismantled for repairs. 
This ship had been har¬ 
assing the English for 
three months, and her 
capture was one of the 
principal objects of the 
enemy who was coming 
up the river. There had 
been time for the news 
of the invasion of Cas¬ 
tine to be circulated 
through the adjacent 
country and more than five hundred American militiamen had 
assembled at Hampden, but on account of lack of command, no 
definite plan of defense had been adopted. Meantime word was 
brought that the English had concentrated their forces two miles 
below Hampden village. Having taken off some of the heavy 
guns from the Adams, the Americans took their position near 
the river and remained all night under arms. The captain of 
the Adams also removed her other cannon and set up a battery 



THE PENOBSCOT AT HAMPDEN 







COASTAL MAINE 


303 




of fourteen guns on the wharf and nine eighteen pounders at 
a strategic point a short distance below. At eight o’clock in the 
morning the forces of the enemy were discerned advancing under 
cover of a dense fog. 

Of a sudden the British 
made a quick and ag¬ 
gressive advance. The 
militia on the American 
side fired a few rounds, 
and broke and fled. 

Meantime the English 
ships were coming up 
the river, and although 
temporarily checked by 
the batteries which had 
been planted to stop 
them, yet owing to the defection of the militia, they could not be 
held back for a long time. The captain of the Adams therefore 
spiked his guns, set his ship on fire, and retreated. 

After this attack on Hampden, the town was given to pillage. 
Many of the inhabitants were placed in confinement and the 
citizens were obliged to give a bond for $12,000 which would 
be exacted, if certain vessels under construction were not de- 
_ livered at Castine the 




DOROTHY DIX PARK, HAMPDEN 


next month. Said Cap¬ 
tain Barrie, the British 
commander: “My busi¬ 
ness is to sink, burn, and 
destroy. Your town is 
taken by storm, and by 
the rules of war we 
ought both to lay your 
village in ashes and put 
its inhabitants to the 
sword; but I will spare 
your lives although I 
mean to burn your houses.” Doubtlessly he would have carried 
out his intention, had he not been bidden by General Sherbrooke 
to spare the town. 


OAKUM BAY, CASTINE 







304 


COASTAL MAINE 


At noontime the same day the English vessels anchored at Bangor. 
Flags of truce were sent by the citizens with the request that life 
and property should be spared. The enemy troops were quartered 
in the town and bountiful supplies of provisions and liquors were 
made to them. The money in the post office, the goods in the 
customs house, and such arms as could be found, were seized. In 
disregard of the promise which had been given, the British soldiers 
were allowed to pillage at will, and they stripped the stores of 
their goods, as well as some of the dwellings. The selectmen 
were compelled to give a bond of $30,000 similar in its tenor to 
that exacted from Hampden. The following day the British 
withdrew, taking with them property worth $23,000. 

On the way down past Hampden the enemy again resorted to 
pillage, although nearly all of the imprisoned citizens were released. 
The guns of the American batteries were thrown into the river, 
and vessels with their cargoes and other property, in all amounting 
to $44,000, were taken away. 

During their eight months’ stay at Castine, the British estab¬ 
lished a theater and introduced a brilliant social season. Many 
of the officers were men of real culture and refinement and there 
was no dearth of amusement and gaiety, and when the forces with¬ 
drew, there were left behind the memories of balls, levees, and 
amateur theatricals sufficient to afford themes of table gossip for a 
generation. In all that time commerce on the Penobscot was verj’’ 
active. To say nothing of a great deal of smuggling that went 
on, the volume of legitimate trade can be gauged by the receipt 
of $150,000 in duties at the customs house at Hampden in five 
weeks. 

For many years Castine was an important center in this region. 
During the sessions of court the town and harbor both presented 
scenes of picturesque activity. The judges and lawyers, the jurors 
and contestants at law, the sheriffs and subordinate officers, together 
with spectators, idlers and loafers, all came in open sailboats or 
rowboats hailing from the settlements about Penobscot and French¬ 
man’s Bays. It was a time of social conversation and renewed 
friendships, enlivened by the story of luck, or escape, or disaster 
which each visitor had to tell the others. 

Times have changed. The old shipyards, the ships that came 
to port, the quaint sailors, and the old wharves, in part, are no 


COASTAL MAINE 


305 


more. The old fortifications, of which there were many, are 
overgrown now with grass. Yet the fine old doorways, the solid 
old mansions, the old church, and something of the atmosphere of 
a former time remains, 
est. Of all the places 
of beauty, romance, and 
historic fascination on 
the Maine coast, none 
excels, and indeed none 
equals this same Castine. 

At the top of the hill 

we stand on the remains 

of old Fort George and 

overlook the past scenes 

of carnage and thunder 

of battles. From this 

fortification in the time 

long since passed, the British soldiery gazed out over the glare 

of burning vessels that illumed the gloomy waters and the flashes 

of the cannon of the victorious fleet that added new terror to 

the event of American disaster. From this vantage place they 

saw the hand of destruction overstretch the placid bay and sweep 

along the tumult of battle and the despair of death. Now the 

village is peaceful and 

its silence restful, and 

scarcely broken, except 

by the laughter of a 

group of happy normal- 

school girls as they 

climb the hill. Large 

hotels with an air of 

modernity break the 

continuity of the fine 

old-time residences that 
NORMAL SCHOOI. BUILDING, CASTINE ^ ^ 

face the streets. 1 o- 

wards the east the contracting Bagaduce straggles out of sight, and 

still farther away is the rounded form of Bluehill, and none too 

clear the Mount Desert Range beyond. Down the harbor are 

Holbrook’s Island, and Nautilus, and the others, each with its 









306 


COASTAL MAINE 


history. On the farther side are the villages of Brookfield and 
the series of sharp craggy hills and water retreats towards Cape 
Rosier. The outline of the Camden Hills marks the western 
horizon, and within the vista are the labyrinths of Penobscot Bay;, 
and towards the north are Belfast Bay, and the villages of Sears- 
port and Stockton glistening white and clean and trim on the 
farther shores. 

Idealistic in its beauty, ensconced in its wondrous wealth of 
water courses and green wooded hills, such is the old village of 
Castine. 

Not far south is the entrance from the bay to Eggemoggin Reach, 
the longest and one of the best known of all the thoroughfares of 
our Maine coast. The Indians called it the Pipe, because they 
thought its shape resembled the stem and bowl of a tobacco pipe. 
For thirteen pleasant miles it washes the islands on one side and 
on the other the main. The scenery along this course long since 
made it famous. From the sizzling heat of New York and Phila¬ 
delphia, yachtsmen come to anchor in the middle of this course, 
and from their daily excursions hence east and south and west, 
they return at night to enjoy the pleasant summer winds and bliss¬ 
ful slumber. 

The first village of this region is Sargentville, consisting almost 
entirely of one long street, half seafaring, half summer resort, 
and always parallel to Eggemoggin Reach. There is more of the 
inland country atmosphere about Sargentville than is found in most 
seaside towns, and as a center of beautiful country drives it is 
unsurpassed. There also is the distinctive seashore country,—the 
winding road with its typical houses and small, rough farms, indi¬ 
cating a population half fishermen, half farming; and after a 
while perhaps the street branches and passes into some deep-cut, 
scraggy glen. On account of its country-like aspect Sargentville 
may be considered Acadian; but again we run into opposites. Here 
are original, tough-fibered, fine old sea captains who can relate all 
the difficulties of the Hudson, the Delaware, or the Chesapeake. 
They know Hatteras and the Florida Keys and can tell of Rio, 
the Straits of Magellan, and of rounding the Horn. They are 
versed in the Indies and the Caribbean and they speak of adventures 
on the African coast. It is unnecessary to say that they know 
Liverpool and the European ports. With the curious wealth of 


COASTAL MAINE 


307 


their minds, untrammeled by the shackles of logic and rhetoric, 
they come near to being the best conversationalists in the world. 
Many are the close places and interesting experiences they have 
been through, and college professors .and solid business men well 
may sit down at their feet to listen and to learn. 

Within the limits of Sargentville is a copper mine which was 
worked years ago and afterwards discarded. Work may be re¬ 
sumed and the mine may become a substantial asset of the town. 
Curiously enough a Maine industry in no wise related to mining 
arose because of this very mine. A party of hunters on board a 
steam yacht returning from Newfoundland stopped at Sargentville 
to take a look at the abandoned mine. Sweeping back from the 
roadside and over the hills were thousands of the young balsam firs 
in the full vigor of youthful growth. What the yacht owner 
thought of the mining outlook, we cannot say; but he did feel 
certain that the fir trees everywhere about him would make better 
Christmas trees than the small pines which were used quite gen¬ 
erally in the city. He ordered some to be cut and loaded on his 
yacht, for the Boston market. His venture was successful and 
the demand for Maine Christmas trees grew until four million 
annually scarcely suJficed to fill the demand. 

Just across The Reach from Sargentville is Deer Isle, or to state 
it more fully, there are Big Deer Isle and Little Deer. Deer Isle 
is one of the largest and most important of the insular portions of 
Maine. We have said before that Stonington embraces the part 
of this island. It seems the fashion for large Maine islands to 
be cut nearly in two and Big Deer Isle is no exception. One of 
the principal villages is located at The Narrows where the waters 
from the opposite sides nearly meet. From this point it is only 
a short walk to Sunset on the western slope, a little hamlet, a little 
part of paradise, that holds a secure place in the affection of many 
a sojourner there. On the opposite side of the island, extending 
out some miles in the ocean is Sunshine, a little village of fisher¬ 
men, partially encompassed by forest and by ocean scenery such 
as not often is given to the rulers of men to enjoy. At high tide 
Sunshine is cut off from the main part of the island, although a 
sandbar affords a good connection at other times. Along the entire 
length of the bar there is a wall of boulders laid up evenly and 
presenting a level top about ten feet in width. This is supposed 


308 


COASTAL MAINE 


to be a natural formation, although when Erst viewed by the 
stranger, it is impossible not to believe that the rocks were put in 
place by human agency. 

Deer Isle abounds in small villages and localities,—Mountain- 
ville. The Reach, North Deer Isle, and Oceanville, besides the 

others we have named. 

Of the two islands, 
“Little Dear,” as the 
summer folks affec¬ 
tionately call it, is pos¬ 
sibly the more delight¬ 
ful. At the one end is 
a small fishing village, 
or street, as you choose 
to call it, about Sally 
Cove. This is the all- 
the-year-round half. 
At the opposite end is 
a prosperous summer-colony which the city denizens have made 
their own. Little Deer Isle is not exclusive, but the summer resi¬ 
dents are quiet, refined, educated people who go there for real 
enjoyment and a real vacation, and they have but small desire for 
the “attractions” provided in some of our resort towns. A high¬ 
way connects the two settlements, but with the real down-east 



GOOSE ROCKS, DEER ISLE 



DEER ISLE THOROUGHFARE 


hungering and thirsting for the sea, some of the residents have 
elected to go down a third of a mile from the street and erect 
their scattered homes along the shore of The Reach. From 
the rear they catch the murmurings of the forest trees and in 
front the companionship of the waves. There also is a third 







COASTAL MAINE 


309 


part of this island which is a wild and unproductive waste; on 
the south shore hills of seamed and twisted rock with scarce a 
shrub or blade of grass, line up one behind another. It is a 
place of solitude with no birdsong, nor the chirp of any living 
creature. 

All along the Maine coast by environment and constant practice 
the inhabitants have grown to manhood and womanhood in close 
companionship with the sea, and the men have developed into sea¬ 
men as skillful and strong and intelligent as can be found in all 
the world. For all that, the coast people in the other towns look 
upon Deer Isle men as the elect in their calling. No greater com¬ 
pliment than this could be paid to their skill. For many years 
Captain “Hank” Half commanded the respective American cup 
defenders in the international yacht races, and almost invariably 
he enlisted a Deer Isle crew. 

The passenger steamers that ply Eggemoggin Reach stop at Sedg¬ 
wick, a village of pleasant aspect, and again at Brooklin farther 
down. We land here to go down to Naskeag Point, a locality 
like Pemaquid Point, with a rich island and ocean charm. In the 
distance beyond all other bodies of land, with commanding presence 
there stands the blue Isle au Haut. Oh for a memory that could 
hold every pleasant isle, all the sparkling ripples, the exquisite 
coloring, the surprise and happiness of it all! But the panorama 
is too vast for this. Afterwards we can recall some of the more 
prominent features, but when we come to fix upon each one in 
detail, the test is too much and the scene becomes uncertain and 
indistinct compared with that which it really is. 

One day Joseph Dabadis de St. Castin, the baron’s younger son, 
with his own boy and a lad from Salem whom he mercifully had 
ransomed from some of his Indians, was fishing from a canoe off 
this very point. An English sloop happened along, but since there 
was no ill feeling at that time between the settlers and Indians, 
Castin and the boys continued their sport with no thought of im¬ 
pending danger. However, guns were fired from the sloop and 
the fishers in their surprise landed hastily and took refuge in the 
edge of the forest. Thereupon the English captain hoisted a white 
flag and indicated that the shots had been fired by mistake. Being 
reassured, Castin and the boys rowed out to the ship. The boy 
from Salem was seized and Castin was told that his canoe and its 


1 


1 

310 COASTALMAINE 1 

u 

contents were a prize, and that he should consider himself lucky 
to get away in safety. Accompanied by a part of the vessel’s crew, 

Castin and his son were returned to the shore, and as they were 
landing an English sailor seized the latter with the intention, 

apparently, of kidnap¬ 
ping him. Castin be¬ 
lieving it would be im¬ 
possible to retain his boy 
by other means, shot the 
sailor dead and with his 
son lost no time in mak¬ 
ing his escape. 

When Naskeag Point 
is rounded the passenger 
boat leaves The Reach 
and steams up Bluehill 
Bay. If the day is pleas¬ 
ant, there are bright vistas everywhere. If the day is sunless and 
dull, the traveler is in no great misfortune. As he passes along 
between Long Island and the mainland, the leaden clouds ahead 
come down to meet the water and the confines narrow on every 
hand. Naturally the 
stranger is curious to 
know what is beyond 
and is prompted to think 
of the vast forces by 
which he is surrounded, 
until a sort of soul awe 
and wonder, a some¬ 
thing of the primal 
mind which is the sub¬ 
conscious heritage of 
thousands of years 
comes back, and to some 
degree he feels akin to 

his forebears of a less enlightened age, and his mind may sense a 
twinge of that same superstitious fear which in past ages held back 
the Mediterranean seamen from passing the Pillars of Hercules 
out into the great unknown. 



Copyright, Chas. A. Townsend, Belfast 
THE king’s roads, UNION RIVER 



The Parker Studio, Bluehill 
BLUEHILL BAY 







COASTAL MAINE 


311 


The village of Bluehill, well grounded, and with a tendency 
to culture, is one of our most individual Maine communities,— 
as individual as the symmetrically rounded mountain of a thousand 
feet that looks down upon it, the blue mountain so peculiar to 
itself and the unmistakable landmark for miles around. Village 
and mountain both are thoroughly likeable. Some of the houses 
are of the square, solid architecture that bespeaks the times when 
captains came back from the West Indies with well filled bags of 
golden coins. The harbor is a peculiar gem, almost like a little 
pond, irregular with out-jutting shores in places, yet generally 
round and studded with pretty tiny islands which probably are 
more helpful to the natural beauty of the place than to navigation. 

A well known center in this region is Ellsworth. Probably a 
stranger would term it a small inland city. Perhaps he would be 
right. Yet time was when ships made the short ascent to this port 
and there were busy scenes on its lumber-laden wharves and in its 
shipyards. 

The town was founded away back in the days immediately fol¬ 
lowing the fall of Quebec when immigration was hastening east¬ 
ward, and it was very prosperous and included many men and 
women of unusual influence. But recently it furnished one of 
our congressmen, and for many years it was the home of Eugene 
Hale whose life and honorable service in our national Senate are 
well remembered. Although Hale was born in Turner, he com¬ 
menced the practice of law in Orland, and while a young man 
entered the arena of local politics and served as county attorney 
of Hancock County for nine years. After going to the Maine 
legislature two terms, he was elected to the lower House of Con¬ 
gress, where he remained ten years. In 1881 he was promoted 
to the Senate and in 1911 he retired from that body. His term 
of service at the time was longer than that of any of his col¬ 
leagues. Mr. Hale in the course of his career became the floor 
leader of his party in the Senate, and his prominent position on 
powerful committees in that body gave him a far-reaching influ¬ 
ence in national affairs and imposed heavy responsibilities. He 
discharged his duties with a quiet and unerring ability that com¬ 
manded the respectful attention of both opponents and friends, 
and conducted important projects so successfully that his judgment 
seldom was questioned. His wife was the daughter of Zachariah 


312 


COASTAL MAINE 


Chandler, a Michigan senator of the civil-war period, whose 
acumen and peculiar abilities are remembered to this day. Mrs. 
Hale’s father, her husband, and her son was each a United States 
senator, the son now holding that high position. There is but one 
other woman in America who can claim this unusual distinction. 



HON. EUGENE HALE 

Much of Ellsworth’s former business has passed out, but it is 
an interesting little city still and its advantages will attract new 
industries in the time that is coming. Its unique, well stocked 
library is housed in a domicile of the old colonial type, though 
remodeled somewhat within to meet the requirements of its new 
office. Within the heart of the city the Union River falls 
rapidly and a large dam and power station have been built there 
for the transmission of electrical power to a wide surrounding 
country. 




COASTAL MAINE 


313 


It is supposed that the coast for a few miles in this region has 
a more extensive seaboard and more numerous harbors than can be 
found on any other coast of equal stretch in the United States. 
Certain it is that here 
the shoreline, even for 
irregular Maine, is espe¬ 
cially broken and rag¬ 
ged and islands large 
and small arise in every 
form and arrangement. 

One writer has termed 
it “a bright mosaic of 
island and bay.” We 
often have wondered 
how the mapmaker ever 
got through with it. 

Trenton and Lamoine, 
places which are little 
heralded outside their local circle, possess such a varied scenery, that 
having viewed them once, we wanted to immediately go over the 
route again. Assuredly these towns are well discovered now, and 
when we see the opportunity for pleasant summer homes, we feel 
convinced that the prosperity of this section is only in its beginning. 

On the ice of Patten 
Bay next to the Surry 
shore, every winter there 
is a curious white vil¬ 
lage composed of some 
one hundred and twen¬ 
ty-five diminutive cloth 
tents. Stranger still, it 
is a movable village, and 
very likely one week is 
not at all in the locality 
that it occupied the week 
before, and almost any day some of its units are changing positions. 
Its population comes and goes. Sometimes there is an influx at 
midnight; sometimes at four o’clock in the morning, for, in brief, 
the occupancy of this peculiar village is regulated by the coming 



THE TENT VILLAGE 








314 


COASTAL MAINE 


and going of the tide. Let us say that this tent community on the 
ice exists for the purpose of catching smelts. Within each house 
a hole is cut through to the water across which is laid a stick with 
lines with baited hooks attached thereto. It is one man’s work 
to tend and draw six lines and when the smelts bite rapidly, he 
must work hard and fast. This may seem a slow method of 
catching small fish; but individual catches of three hundred pounds 
per day are recorded. A few years ago it was estimated that this 
industry in its three months’ duration brings close to $10,000 into 
the pockets of the fishers of this community. 

For a century and a half after the destruction of Madam de 
Guercheville’s embryo colony the Desert Isle reigned amid impres¬ 
sive solitudes hardly less 
broken than those of the 
preceding ages. The 
Indians who always had 
evinced a great fondness 
for the place continued 
to come every summer 
to fish and hunt. There 
they roamed a miniature 
continent. Although 
only fifteen miles in 
length and less in width, 
the island was remark¬ 
able for its diversity. 
There were mountains 
and plains and lakes and streams. Moose and deer and smaller 
animals inhabited the forest, the lakes abounded with salmon and 
trout, birds sang from the brush, and wild fowl frequented the 
shores. Towns and the industries of civilization had not come 
yet, but the time when they would sweep eastward steadily was 
approaching. 

In 1688 this island was given by Louis XIV to Cadillac, the 
founder of Detroit. Later Governor Bernard of Massachusetts 
took an active interest in Mount Desert and in 1762 the General 
Court granted him one-half of the island. He made a voyage to 
Southwest Harbor and remained more than a week to make sur¬ 
veys and gain a more comprehensive knowledge of his possessions. 



Lafayette National Park 
THE BOWL 

(Between Mountain Summits) 








COASTAL MAINE 


315 


Two families were found living on the island and four others 
were reported to be on the Cranberry Islands a short distance south. 
After the governor’s visit other surveys were made with plans for 
farther settlement. Just 
at that time, however, 
affairs in Massachusetts 
were passing through a 
crisis which made the 
recall of Governor 
Bernard expedient. 

The work accom¬ 
plished had called atten¬ 
tion to Mount Desert 
and the actual work of 
settlement progressed. , , ^ 

^ ® Lafayette National Park 

Marie de Cadillac, the 
grand-daughter of the 

old French pioneer, now presented her claims to the territory and 
largely due to the intercession of Lafayette, she was granted a 
title anew to the half not deeded to Bernard. With her husband 
she came to Hull’s Cove, and they both settled and lived and died 

there. Communication 
between the several lo¬ 
calities was effected by 
water. The settlers led 
strenuous and isolated 
lives, but from the ac¬ 
counts which have come 
down to us it seems that 
they were contented and 
happy. Visitors other 
than plunderers seldom 
came to the island. 

MCKINLEY VILLAGE AND BASS HARBOR When the second mar¬ 
riage on Mount Desert 
occurred, there being no minister nor justice, and no means of 
getting one, the two persons chiefly interested bound themselves by 
the following compact: “I, Nicholas Thomas, do in the presence 
of God, angels, and these witnesses, take Lucy Somes to be my 










316 


COASTAL MAINE 


married wife, to live with her, to love, to cherish, nourish and 
maintain her in prosperity and adversity, in sickness and health 
* * * as long as God shall continue both our lives.” 

Although living remote from neighbors the islanders were filled 
with a splendid patriotic spirit. During the War of 1812 the 
Tenedos, an English warship, came in and anchored between Bear 
and Sutton Islands. Two young men from Great Cranberry 
Island rowed to Southwest Harbor to give the alarm. At that 
time the highway system was only in its beginning, and all night 
long men tramped the by-paths and through the wild places until 
every available citizen was gathered to the place of probable action. 
An old Revolutionary soldier, his strength renewed with the spirit 
of former years, arose from his sick bed to go to increase the 
number; and to this day the island people tell the story of old 
John Richardson, another veteran of the Revolution. 

Old John was as deaf as the proverbial haddock, but he got an 
inkling of what was going on and the old antipathy for the British 
arose anew within him. He set out for the affray without delay. 
He did not understand about the place of rendezvous and perhaps 
he did not care. As he walked down the slope alone and in plain 
sight of the enemy, his neighbors called to him to get under cover 
and to come over to them. They might as well have shouted to 
the rocks. Fearless and single-handed, the old man loaded and 
fired at the man of war. The English did not like the attack and 
planned to settle with their deaf old assailant with a shot from 
one of their guns. The earth about him was torn up in a con¬ 
fusion of turf and stones and dirt, and old John disappeared from 
view presently to emerge, loading and firing as if nothing had 
happened. 

In the course of years the arduous struggles of the pioneers 
softened to a more comfortable life, and fishing a great deal and 
farming and lumbering a little, the people of Mount Desert led 
the typical life of the coast. 

The mountains of Mount Desert were seen by every one who 
chanced to pass by and were the talk of seamen as the ships sailed 
past. The occasional traveler was toled to this novel country and 
the time came when a few city people sought board with some of 
the families of Southwest Harbor. Presently the first hotel was 
put up. Renowned artists came and added their quota. About 


COASTAL MAINE 


317 



THE BOAT PIER (SOUTHWEST HARBOR) 


1871 the hotel business was gaining rapidly in different parts of 
the island and it continued to prosper for many years. There 
were two voices calling, one of the mountains and one of the sea, 
and each a mighty 
voice. Men of wealth 
were curious enough to 
come and look at the 
island and some of 
them decided to remain. 

Though they came not 
to hunt and fish, yet 
the same attraction won 
them that had called 
the simple redmen in 
summers gone before. 

The building of summer residences and summer estates commenced 
and the movement spread, so that before the islanders fully realized 
it, the values of land were going up, the glow of increasing fame 
was resting on Mount Desert, and the island was engaged in suc¬ 
cessful competition with 
the most celebrated re¬ 
sorts of the. world. 

As we sailed from 
Eggemoggin Reach 
across Blue Hill Bay 
we looked fairly at 
Western Mountain, the 
second in height of the 
Mount Desert Range. 
The impression gained 
was disappointing. We 
had admired the Cam¬ 
den group and had seen 
with a pleased surprise the rounded monadnock of Blue Hill. 
And now a commonplace mountain slope slanted up from an ordi¬ 
nary piedmont strip tapering down to the ocean. The mountain 

did not appear to be high. Were we expecting too much? Was 

this the famed Mount Desert? 










318 


COASTAL MAINE 


We used to have a physician friend who said that in sizing up 
the ailment of a patient he trusted first impressions most, and that 
may be a good rule to follow in medicine. It is not so in travel. 
A revelation came to us as our boat hurried on her course parallel 
to the island’s southern coast. In former excursions we had looked 
at the broken mainland and the islands and a labyrinth of water¬ 
ways. Now we looked over 
them to those wondrous 
mountains! There was a 
profile view of nearly the 
entire range. How clearly 
outlined each peak stood 
forth in individual bold¬ 
ness! Was it the spell of 
enchantment which is said 
to rest on this island, or in 
truth were we really view¬ 
ing enchanted mountains? 
Even Western Mountain 
was transformed. With 
rounding domes, the lines 
ran down steeply into deep 
defiles and notches; indeed 
it was the startling contour 
of domes and valleys, we 
think, that gave the dis¬ 
tinctive contrast and match¬ 
less relief against the heav¬ 
ens. As we sped swiftly 
on, our angle of view was 
ever changing and in consequence the heights continually revealed 
different lines and assumed different forms until we thought it all 
a wonderful panorama passing before us. 

Southwest Harbor, the oldest of them all, retains honorable rank 
among the dozen villages on the island. Looking at the harbor 
we would think that an irregular piece of land had been torn out 
and that every ragged resulting nook and recess had been filled 
and beautified by the sea. A considerable number of hotels and 
summer homes are seen here, but the place is not given over alto- 



CLIFF ON SUTTON ISLAND, 
SOUTHWEST HARBOR 


entrance to SOMES SOUND 



4 
















320 


COASTAL MAINE 


gether to summer visitors. It preserves much of the quiet atmos¬ 
phere of what it really is,—an unconventional down-east coast 
village; and as long as it remains such, it will remain the favorite 
of many visitors who come to Mount Desert. 

Between the villages of Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor 
—-near neighbors—is the beginning of Somes Sound which runs 
back some six miles to the interior of the island. This most beau¬ 
tiful and exceptional watercourse has not changed so much from 
the time when Father Biard wrote ^Tt is large enough to hold any 
fleet and ships can discharge within a cable’s length of the;, shore.” 
In its course the mountains close in upon it and in one place the 
steep, lofty shores on both sides present a scene that falls nothing 
short of grandeur. The waters between are deep and blue and 
clean. Instinctively we ask “What tremendous power tore the 
land apart? or by what means did the waters wear this deep chan¬ 
nel between these mountain walls?” Throughout its deep and 
beautiful glen the sound is overshadowed by the hills until the 
range is cut through and on the interior side the waters spread out 
again into arms and recesses after the true fashion of the sea. 



Permission of Lafayette National Park 


SOMESVILLE AT THE HEAD OF THE SOUND 




COASTAL MAINE 


321 


Somes Sound is one of the remarkable features of this island. The 
mountain woods and dells are the fit habitations of fairies and the 
Sound itself is romantic enough to be the boudoir of nereids and 
sea nymphs. In a former age the inspired fascination of this 
place would have enriched the folk lore of the fishermen with 
beautiful stories and legends. 

At the head of the Sound is the pleasant village of Somesville 
to which the summer folk are coming in ever increasing numbers. 
The travel to Bar Harbor formerly went through this part of 
Mount Desert until a steamship line and afterwards a railroad 
made the former place readily accessible. According to the post 
office regulations the name of this village is Mount Desert, which 
is gradually supplanting Somesville. In earlier days the hamlet 
was called Between-the-Hills and it is a pity that the name ever 
was changed. 

On the eastern coast of the island is Bar Harbor planted on the 
level bit of coastal plain within the shadow of Mount Cadillac. 
The sides of the mountain are seamed roughly with gorges, and 
its massive bare summit ranges upwards until it overtops all others 
in the group. The new arrival quickly discerns that he is in a 
town which is far different from the usual Maine village. Here 
are busy city streets, here are gaiety and display of wealth and 
the whirl of fashion. Here are unusually well groomed homes 
and busy shops, but the village is devoid of cheap display and 
catch-penny affairs which naturally displease people of means and 
refinement. For miles on either side the approaches to Bar Harbor 
are lined with the country or summer estates of people who have 
lavished their wealth upon the island. Few of these places are 
ostentatious from the roadside; rather their spacious grounds and 
splendid residences are concealed by the trees and the skill of the 
landscape gardener. But such evidences of wealth as we find here 
are not seen to such a degree in other towns of Maine. Through 
Hull’s Cove and Salisbury’s Cove, through Otter Creek, Seal Har¬ 
bor, and Northeast Harbor it is much the same. Bar Harbor, taken 
with its environs, is first in beauty and, perhaps, in fame among 
the summer resorts of the north Atlantic coast. 

Up among the hills some three or four miles from Bar Harbor 
village, is a rare and lovely glen wherein Eagle Lake reposes. 
Clear granite walls enclose this crystal gem. At the southeast the 


12 


322 


COASTAL MAINE 


ponderous shoulder of Mount Cadillac stretches away; at the south 
three other peaks arise in triple flank and slope gradually to their 
heights; on the west a gentle hill wooded with deciduous growth 

merges with the great 
forest. No habitation is 
on the shores. Nothing 
more than ripples break 
the water, and the spirit 
of quietness reigns. Of 
delightful bodies of 
water there are many 
in Maine, but here is 
one of Nature’s little 
favorites, so individual, 
and beautiful that it 
may well send out its 
challenge to the ideal 
mountain lakes of the world. Its enchantment compels us to linger, 
our admiration makes us willing to stay. We know not when we 
may see it again; and we depart glad that Eagle Lake, granite 
encircled in its mountain glen, is to remain as it is, untouched by 
the work of men. 

The only national park east of the Mississippi River is on Mount 
Desert Island. At the beginning of the present century there 
sprang up a movement among some of the island’s earlier summer 
residents to preserve its scenery and keep it accessible to the public 
of the future. This sentiment took shape in the form of a corpo¬ 
ration for holding the wild and mountainous lands on the island 
as a trust for the people, and out of thfs corporation presently grew 
the National Park, whose lands, limited at the commencement to 
eight thousand acres but superb in landscape character, have since 
steadily been extending until, with minor exceptions, the whole 
mountain range of Mount Desert and portions of its coast are now 
included. The park was created by Act of Congress during the 
World War when a great part of the nation’s younger manhood 
was in France, and in view of this and the association' of the island 
with France as its possessor in Acadian times, the name. Lafayette 
was given by Congress in the act creating it. 






COASTAL MAINE 


323 


The Lafayette National Park is unique not only in presenting 
eastern scenery and the Appalachian forest, but also in bordering 
on the ocean. No other location would have been as fitting as 
Mount Desert Island, almost the only place on our Atlantic coast 
where a mountainous formation meets the wide-open sea, and the 
national park lands upon it show a variety of landscape—mountain. 



Lafayette National Park 

VIEW FROM BAR HARBOR 


cliff, and gorge, lake and land-locked reaches of the sea, in com¬ 
bination with wide ocean views—that is extraordinary. An exten¬ 
sive system of trails built by the early summer visitors leads over 
the whole mountain chain and a road of surpassing beauty is 
now building through the parkland to the summit of its highest 
mountain. 

The same movement that secured the lands for the national 
park and accomplished its creation has resulted more recently in 
the establishment at Salisbury Cove of one of the leading marine 
laboratories for biological research on the continent, attracting 



324 


COASTAL MAINE 


famous scientists, and to the inauguration of a summer school of 
biology under the auspices of the University of Maine. 

This entire park area is a plant and wild life sanctuary. It lies 
at the meeting place along the coast of the northern and southern 

floras and on the coast 
migration route of 
northern nesting birds, 
and constitutes within 
its remarkable topogra¬ 
phy a living museum 
and an opportunity for 
scientific study of un¬ 
usual interest. In the 
coursing years this na¬ 
tional park of our east- 
land will become wide¬ 
ly famous, and far more 
than now will be visited 
by the thousands who 
are lured by regions of 
natural grandeur and 
exquisite beauty. 

Leading down a mile 
or so along the eastern 
shore of Bar Harbor is 
the Sliore Walk. On 
the one side is the unobstructed view of the adjacent waters, stud¬ 
ded with small, high islands, and beyond them the long dark line 
of the mainland until it is lost in the distant sea; on the other side 
is a line of evergreen forest, broken sometimes by the smooth lawns 
of estates that extend down to this walk by the sea. From the 
Shore Walk I gazed far over the restless scene and the shades of 
bygone days seemed to throng before me. Here the islands and 
coastlines slowly arose from the ocean in a remote and misty age. 
Here, through cycles of conflict in which this island suffered great 
violence, the rocky shores gradually upreared a bolder and more 
resistant front to the waves and storms, driven on by Boreas and 
all the minor gods of the tempests. Here through the halo-mist 
of a later time the Northmen passed swiftly in the offing, and 





COASTAL MAINE 


325 


later still the French voyageurs proceeded cautiously up the chan¬ 
nel, peering in here and there at the land in their search for a 
new home. Here in their flotillas of canoes the children of these 
forests glided to their wigwams in the cove; and in the rustle of 
the tree-tops overhead echoed the songs of praise and holy sacrifice 
of mass at St. Sauveur. 

As we proceed along the coast eastward from Bar Harbor, city 
people are less and less in evidence, and naturally some of the 
smaller centers of population are not as familiar to our minds as 
those that are farther west; but the scenery continues to grow 
more bold and striking. Every town deserves a detailed description 
which often we must emit, unless, our minds being scarcely equal 
to it all, we allow the profusion of beauty to seem only common¬ 
place. Hancock, Franklin, and Sullivan are all interesting towns 
facing Frenchman’s Bay. From Hancock Point to Bar Harbor 
is the excellent ferry system of the railroad, but from Hancock 
to Sullivan I found a somewhat primitive service. I had been 
directed to go down to 
the bank of the river 
and to look for a tin 
trumpet hung on a post; 
furthermore I was to 
blow the trumpet and 
a man from the Sulli¬ 
van side would come 
over and row me across. 

I went down to the 
river and at first could 
not find the horn, but 
a painstaking search re¬ 
vealed that instrument pretty well buried in the earth. I put it 
to my lips and filled my mouth with sand as I blew with all my 
might and the trumpet made not a sound. I tried again with 
like result. I agitated the horn in the river waters, resolved to 
wash out of it the last particle of sand, and then I blew again 
and again no note crossed the tide to reward my efforts. In dis¬ 
gust I threw the tin tube down into the dirt from which I had 
picked it up and placing all my trust in my vocal organs, I halloed 
with all my strength and ceased not to wave my hat meantime. 





326 


COASTAL MAINE 


Presently a man came out of his house on the Sullivan shore and 
calmly looked up and down the river to discover whence came the 
disturbance, and having located its source, he pushed off a boat 
and came to take me across. But all this, it must be said, happened 

years ago. Here again the old 
order has changed and to-day 
the Sullivan ferry is provided 
with an up-to-date equipment. 

In this river are the so-called 
Sullivan Falls. It must be held 
in mind that we have arrived 
in the country where the tides 
are higher than they were about 
Portland and when the ocean 
comes surging in, the water is 
jammed back into every estu¬ 
ary, and every inlet and sea 
basin is filled full. It happens 
in this river that the in-flowing 
tide piles up a great mass of 
water which is held back in a 
measure at one contracted point 
in the channel. But when the 
tide goes out, the water back 
of the ledges at this point can¬ 
not flow out as readily as the 
other outgoing waters along the 
shore, and at low tide, even, the impounded flood is still tumbling 
down over the rocks in a current of no mean dimensions. If the 
atmosphere is quiet, the falling water may be heard a mile away. 

South of Sullivan is Sorrento, wealthy and as some will have it, 
more beautiful than Bar Harbor itself. Farther down the bay is 
the rugged summer resort of Winter Harbor. Closer at hand is 
Gouldsboro with its surface broken by high hills and its front 
ragged and worn by the sea, the peer of the finest of our coast 
towns and certain to come into favor more and more. Plext comes 
Steuben, the first Washington County town, which was very pros¬ 
perous in the days of shipping and is now a delightful place, though 
decadent. 



Bar Harbor Publicity Com. 
THUNDER HOLE 





COASTAL MAINE 


327 


In the War of 1812 a Boston sea-captain, named Allen, was 
commissioned to go to Calais to get a load of lumber. Under 
the conditions then prevailing the task imposed upon Captain Allen 
was uncertain and hazardous. However, he arrived safely at 
Calais, loaded, and started homeward. In the vicinity of Steuben 
his schooner, the Defiance, was nearly becalmed and as luck would 
have it, was sighted by the armed British brig Bruin. Captain 
Allen used all possible sail and made towards the shore. Presently 
the guns of the pursuing Bruin opened fire, and the Defiance stood 
as near as possible to an island in the bay. The British captain 
fearing some trap was being set for him, hauled off and after 
taking in some of his sail, sent a barge with a swivel fastened to 
her bow and manned 
by an armed crew to 
bring the lumber-laden 
schooner to terms. 

Meantime Captain 
Allen had made breast¬ 
works on the deck of 
his vessel with some of 
the lumber, and awaited 
the incoming boat. 

When it had come 
within hailing distance. 

Captain Allen warned 
the British seamen to go away, but instead of complying with his 
demand, they made their guns ready for a volley and lit a match 
to discharge the swivel. At this juncture the American captain 
who had his crew concealed from the sight of the British, gave 
the order to fire, and a shower of lead swept across the barge. 
Another volley followed and the British asked for quarter. Three 
of their men had been killed and another mortally wounded. The 
barge was ordered alongside the schooner and the prisoners were 
taken aboard. Captain Allen sent to the captain of the militia at 
Steuben for assistance which was rendered promptly. The next 
day the captain of the Bruin came and exchanged two American 
prisoners for two of his men, and ransomed the others. Captain 
Allen resumed his voyage and landed his cargo at Boston without 
further mishap. 



Bar Harbor Publicity Com. 
ANEMONE CAVE, BAR HARBOR 




328 


COASTAL MAINE 


Milbridge, Harrington, and Addison all vie with one another 
in beauty and favorable surroundings. Many were the proud 
ships that sailed from these ports, and each village was busy and 
prosperous when the clipper craft was in its glory. Well-to-do 
captains put out their money and builded their homes here, and 
a considerable number,—of course a diminishing number—have 
weathered all the storms of the past and reside here to-day. On 

account of economic 
changes these towns 
have lost heavily in 
industries and popu¬ 
lation, but still they 
are well organized 
communities that sup¬ 
port education loyally, 
and again they will 
come to greater pros¬ 
perity. It is impossible 
to believe that a region 
of such natural charm 
and resources and 
peopled by men and 
women of such intel¬ 
ligence will not pros¬ 
per. It is not likely 
that ’manufacturing 
will become a leading 
industry here, but 
the agricultural advan¬ 
tages are promising, 
even if not yet appre¬ 
ciated by a people who have been accustomed to sail the ocean. 
There is no good reason why an era of farming may not be estab¬ 
lished and bring wealth and new residents, just as wealth and 
new settlers have gone into Aroostook. Indeed the proximity of 
the water and easy trade routes give Washington County an advan¬ 
tage which her more remote and richer neighbor at the north does 
not possess. When the time of such changes arrives, as it will, 
all business will revive. Three centuries ago possibly three or four 










COASTAL MAINE 


329 


settlements broke the New England coast. Look at New England 
to-day and then picture New England three centuries from this 
present time! 

Twelve miles from Milbridge is the ocean rock of Petit Manan 
with its white cylindered lighthouse rising one hundred and fifteen 
feet above the sur¬ 
rounding ocean. In 
clear nights the beacon 
is visible sixteen miles 
away. Two dwellings 
grace this exposed isle. 

Were it not for the 
laughter of children 
and the companionship 
which women give, life 
there would be lone¬ 
some and dreary. As it 
is, life is pleasant, and such surroundings offer spectacles and arouse 
emotions and indeed provide some advantages which the metropolis 
cannot afford. The lighthouses are cheerful and wonderfully 
interesting and in reality, as well as in verse, they form a part of 
the poetry of the sea. It seems not only appropriate, but alto¬ 
gether natural, that a man from Maine, Sumner I. Kimball (born 

in Lebanon), should 
have shaped and for 
nearly half a century 
should have been the 
head of the department 
which controls all the 
lighthouses and life¬ 
saving stations within 
our domains. 

In the upper tier of 
coast towns are Cherry- 
field, Columbia, and 
Columbia Falls. Cherryfield is the larger of the three and for 
many years has been a prosperous lumber center. It is situated on 
both sides of the Narraguagus River which penetrates a big logging 
country and is well fashioned for river driving. As far back as 










330 


COASTAL MAINE 



SUMMER TIME IN STEUBEN 


1820 an academy was founded in the town—a matter that hardly 
any prosperous place omitted—and has been maintained ever since. 

Not far west of Cherryfield is Catherine Hill, a bare glaciated 
knob of granite overlooking Tunk Pond. Xhis is one of the 

finest inland regions of 
the county and is a well 
known Mecca for dis¬ 
ciples of Walton. The 
granite hill is literally 
full of crystals of mo¬ 
lybdenite, a mineral as 
valuable and useful as it 
is rare. Hitherto it has 
been mined only in Swe¬ 
den and Australia. It is 
used in the making of 
steel to give additional strength to the finished product. It is 
certain that Catherine Hill contains large deposits,—millions of 
tons, it is said—of this rare metal. Agents of the German gov¬ 
ernment tried to buy this deposit at the beginning of the World 
War, but their efforts fell through. When this large depository, 
the greatest in the world of its kind, is opened, it would seem that 
a period of increased 
prosperity must be ush¬ 
ered into this locality. 

There are thousands 
and thousands of acres 
of land in Hancock and 
Washington Counties— 
such especially is the 
case back of Cherryfield 
and the Columbias— 
that have grown up to 
blueberry bushes, and 
therefrom has sprung an industry of considerable importance. In 
the latter half of August and in September many people of eastern 
Maine resort to the berry plains taking tents, bedding, and cooking 
utensils with them,—and presto! little white tents are pitched 
Arab-like in little villages about the springs and streams, until 



LONG BRIDGE, MILBRIDGE 







COASTAL MAINE 


331 


some hundreds of these canvas abodes are scattered over the heaths. 
In other places pickers are boarded either in tents or in more sub¬ 
stantial camps. Nearly all these people stay through the season 
which lasts five or six weeks. Whole families engage in the 

work. The men usu¬ 
ally use a “picker,” or 
in other words a spe¬ 
cially constructed rake, 
and gather from eight 
to ten bushels of the 
fruit in a day. In the 
rougher and more inac¬ 
cessible places the chil¬ 
dren and some of the 
women pick by hand. 

The berries are win¬ 
nowed and the green ones are thrown out. The clean product is 
shown to an inspector who pays the pickers for their work. After¬ 
wards the berries are boxed and sent to the canning factories at 

About 200,000 bushels 
are picked in a good 
season and the value of 
the output approximates 
$ 1 , 000 , 000 . 

The blueberry indus¬ 
try has become so prof¬ 
itable that old farms 
are being bought and 
burned over to encour¬ 
age the growth of the 
berry bushes. Blueberry 
tracts and barrens in 
western Maine are now 
being secured for the 
same purpose. These berries grow on natural pine lands and the 
berryman’s interests and the lumberman’s interests are inimical. 
It is well known that when a blueberry piece has been burned 
over, the fruit grows prolifically the second season afterwards and 
that good crops may be expected for several years. Thus it hap- 


Cherryfield, Milbridge, and other towns. 



A BLUEBERRY CANNING FACTORY 







332 


COASTAL MAINE 


pens that in the solitude of the wide plains some irresponsible 
fellow is likely to start a fire and there is no way either of finding 
him out, or foretelling how much damage will result from his 

unwarranted act. In 
both Hancock and 
Washington Counties 
the timber loss from 
fire has been especially 
heavy, and it is prob¬ 
able that more trees 
have been consumed 
by the devouring 
flames than have 
passed through the 
mills. 

It is a pleasant, easy 
country through Addi¬ 
son and Jonesport and 
the life of the towns is natural and unspoiled. The village of the 
latter place is one of the largest and most prosperous of eastern 
Maine. This port is ninety miles nearer Europe than is St. John 
and one hundred and twenty miles nearer than Portland. The har¬ 
bor is commodious and embraces an unusual number and variety of 
islands, of which the 
largest, called Beal, is 
the home of four hun¬ 
dred fishermen. 

Before Jonesport 
was reached we passed 
through a trim little 
hamlet known as In¬ 
dian River, which we 
especially mention be¬ 
cause here originated 
the strangest religious 
exodus that New England history records,—the more strange because 
it was sponsored and carried out by a conservative, intelligent people. 

A pastor named Adams, a dissatisfied and discredited minister 
of the Latter Day Saints, came to Indian River and preached a 




SEINING THE WEIR, ADDISON 







COASTAL MAINE 


333 


new crusade. He urged the people to organize a colony and plant 
It in Palestine. He was a man of some eloquence, of great per- 
sistance and persuasion, and probably he was impelled by ambition. 
Adams was strongly opposed by the local press and by certain 
level-headed individuals, but he fought the “foes and oppressors” 
like a real leader and gained the loyal support of the greater part 
of the local community. His preaching continued several months. 



HARBOR VIEW, JONESPORT 


He was made president of the Palestine Emigration Association, 
and a local man named Wass became “Bishop of the Church at 
Addison and Jonesport.” A publication styled “The Sword of 
Truth and Hastener of Peace” was issued by the religionists. 
Farmers sold their property, ship-owners closed out their business, 
and seamen came home, all to engage in this new enterprise. A 
newly finished vessel was procured at Harrington and preparations 
were made for the voyage. 

One fair August forenoon in 1866, this pilgrim bark amidst 
cheering and singing sailed down the bay from Jonesport, bound 
for Jaffa. About one hundred and fifty souls made up the com¬ 
plement. Some were elders, others venerable sisters, while babes 
less than a year old were among the strange company. The major¬ 
ity were in the prime of life. About one hundred came from 
the vicinity of Indian River and Jonesport, others from Orring- 








334 


COASTAL MAINE 


1 


ton, Surry, and York, and a few from New Hampshire towns, 
from Boston, and from San Francisco. They went “to com¬ 
mence the great work of restoration foretold by the holy prophets, 
patriarchs, and apostles as well as by our Lord himself.” The 
ship moved under the bright sun of Heaven to “the land of their 
hope, to the land of Abraham, yes, the land of promise, the Holy 
Land.” In due time other colonists were to follow. Nothing 



chandler’s river at JONESBORO 

seemed lacking to the expedition. It even had its poet in the 
person of one Captain Norton, and although his verses are as 
commonplace as were those of the poet of Cordova, yet they throw 
an interesting light on the spirit of the undertaking. 

“In company v/ith a faithful band. 

We started for an Eastern land. 

Where Nature’s grandeur oft is seen. 

The fruitful land of Palestine.” 

Favoring winds filled the sails and the voya 2 :e was made with 
such unusual celerity that ere long the poet was singing: 

“And now the grand old hills are seen. 

That form the land of Palestine. 

The hills that preachers oft apply 
As being mansions in the sky.” 








COASTAL MAINE 


335 


When the pilgrims landed on the desolate shore at Jaffa the 
bright illusions of their expedition faded away. True, these people 
were religious enthusiasts, but they possessed a saving common 
sense and realized that they were in no fit place for the building 
up of a prosperous colony. Soon after they had left Jonesport, 
Adams, worried perhaps by the responsibility of his mad enter¬ 
prise, began to assume an arbitrary bearing and to seek consolation 
in his cups, so that even before Jaffa was reached some of the 
company were in none too happy a frame of mind. However, 
they decided to make the best of an unpromising situation and 
accordingly unloaded the lumber they had taken with them and 
began to set up their buildings and to plant their crops. Such 
water as they could procure was unwholesome, and when they 
asked Adams what to do, he impatiently told them to drink rum. 
In that respect he was setting the example. About this time Cap¬ 
tain Norton breaking into one of his poetical effusions, termed 
their leader “a dreamer and a liar.” The few potatoes that they 
succeeded in raising were so incrusted in the sun-baked soil that 
they had to be dug with a ship carpenter’s adz. Discouraged, dis¬ 
appointed, without adequate means of sustenance, the little colony 
became sickly and destitute and longed for the cool breezes of the 
bays of Maine. 

“We find we cannot live here, 

The heat and drought is so severe; 

A living we cannot procure 
In Palestine, you may be sure.” 

At length many of the men and women were without shoes and 
their apparel was reduced to rags. Often they were without 
bread, and in this pitiable condition they applied to the American 
consul, who put Adams in jail, relieved the more urgent temporal 
needs of the sufferers, such as food and clothing, and returned 
those who had not died to their homes as rapidly as passage to 
American ports could be procured. 

“Now to our native land we’ll go. 

Where the hills are covered with ice and snow,— 

The land that once we did despise. 

Which shows that we were quite unwise.” 


336 


COASTAL MAINE 


Exceptions to all rules are likely to occur, and in this instance 
not quite all the colonists returned. One true Yankee stayed be¬ 
hind to establish a stage line from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and having 
acquainted himself with the geography and history of that country, 
he made himself almost indispensable to tourists to the Holy Land; 
and one rather elderly woman of a stubborn turn of mind 
“allowed” that since she had been so foolish in coming to Palestine, 
she would stay. Gathering up the remnants of her fortune, she 
provided herself a comfortable home not far from the seat of the 
recent colony and there spent her remaining days. Adams was 
released from jail and went to Philadelphia where he occupied a 
pulpit until his death two or three years later. 

The Machias region is one of the most historic in Maine. As 
early as 1633, probably without good right. Vines and Allerton 
established a trading post near where Machiasport village now 
stands and left it in charge of several men. La Tour, jealous 
of his rights in this region, came and demolished the trading house, 
killed two of the defenders, and took the others prisoners together 
with plunder valued at $2500 in modern money. Allerton went 
to procure the release of the prisoners, if possible. In the con¬ 
versation that ensued, Allerton requested La Tour to show his 
commission. “This is my commission,” replied the haughty cheva¬ 
lier, as he laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. 

The present town of Machias is the child of Scarboro. During 
a year of drought some of the settlers of Scarboro sailed east to 
find a much needed supply of hay, and they procured what they 
sought in the lower valley of the Machias River. The forest was 
on one side, the ocean on the other, and falls of no mean power 
fell from the river heights to the tidal waters. The combination 
was exceeding favorable. The visitors from the west were im¬ 
pressed with the abundance of untouched pines. Upon their return 
to Scarboro, thirteen men in that town, together with three non¬ 
residents, organized a company to operate a saw-mill at Machias 
Falls. In 1673 twenty-five men went to settle the village. During 
the next year the mill sawed nearly 1,600,000 feet of lumber which 
was considered a remarkable season’s work. The verdant forests 
of evergreen not only brought Machias into being, but supplied its 
only industry of consequence for many years, and are its mainstay 
to-day. At that time pine and oak were the only kinds of timber 


COASTAL MAINE 


337 


in demand, inasmuch as spruce did not come into general use until 
1850 and hemlock was not considered of much value until the 
time of the Civil War. People supposed the supply was inex¬ 
haustible; therefore they used the best, and ignored or wasted 
the rest. The product of the mills was shipped west and to for¬ 
eign ports. Stores were stocked to carry on trade with the In¬ 
dians and to cultivate their 
friendship. The new town¬ 
ship increased in strength and 
numbers so that before the 
beginning of the Revolution 
it possessed eighty families be¬ 
sides about one hundred single 
men. 

Living in the midst of a 
great country’s activity and 
surrounded with much of the 
luxury of life, we pause a 
moment to picture that small settlement in the woods with its lone¬ 
some river in almost absolute seclusion, and possibly we think the 
lives of those pioneers were barren indeed. But in those trouble¬ 
some days coincident with the breaking out of the War of Inde¬ 
pendence, the people of Ma- 
chias lived amidst excitement 
and danger. The atmosphere 
was too electric to harbor dull¬ 
ness and ennui, and we hardly 
are surprised to learn that this 
most remote eastern town, then 
scarcely more than twelve years 
old, of its own initiative played 
a hand in our history that will 
remain a source of pride to the 
State of Maine forever. 

In June, 1 775, when the British troops occupied Boston, two 
sloops belonging to a Machias captain were sent down to Machias 
under the protection of the armed schooner Margaretta to get 
lumber to put into some barracks which the English were erecting 
in the rebellious Yankee city. The cargoes were put aboard with- 




Photo by Albee Bros., Machias 
MACHIAS FALLS 







338 


COASTAL MAINE 


out hindrance, although the townspeople looked at the business 
with unfriendly eyes. Captain Moore of the Margaretta noticed 
a liberty pole which recently had been set up in the village and 
ordered that it should be cut dov/n. If his command was not 
obeyed, he threatened to fire on the village and destroy the homes 
of the people. Several meetings of the citizens were held to con¬ 
sider the matter, but no inclination was excited to remove the 
liberty tree. Instead, help was summoned from the small outlying 
settlements on the east and west. At Chandler’s River (in the 
present town of Jonesboro), after every able-bodied man had gone 
to Machias, Mrs. Hannah Weston went through the scattered 
commiunity and collected forty pounds of powder and lead; and 
since there was no messenger by wdiich the precious munitions 
could be sent, Mrs. Weston herself, then only seventeen years old, 
accompanied by her sister-in-law, Rebecca Weston, took the burden 
upon herself and started through the woods. The country was a 
blind wilderness and the young women had only the foot-tracks 
of the men and an occasional blazed tree to guide them. How¬ 
ever, they persevered bravely and reached their destination, where 
they learned that exciting events already had taken place. 

The previous Saturday evening five citizens of Machias met at 
the home of one of their number to consider the unusual situation. 
It was thought that Captain Moore would attend church the next 
day and a plan was arranged to seize that officer as he came from 
the meeting house at the end of the service. 

Captain Moore attended worship as was expected. During the 
sermon London Atus, Parson Lyon’s negro servant, as he looked 
out of the window, saw some armed men crossing a log bridge 
in the river, and giving a shout of alarm, he made for safety. The 
captain, no doubt, was greatly surprised, and looking quietly about, 
he noted that the eyes of some of the men in the congregation 
were fixed intently upon him. At a moment when opportunity 
seemed to favor him. Captain Moore suddenly terminated his devo¬ 
tions and after nearly overturning some of the worshippers, made 
a hasty exit by way of the window and ran with all possible speed 
to the shore from which he lost no time in rowing to the Mar¬ 
garetta. For some unknown reason the young officer, who un¬ 
doubtedly was brave, was desirous of getting away from Machias, 


MACHIAS 
































340 


COASTAL M A1N L 


and he gave orders to lift anchor, and harassed by shots from the 
excited patriots, he sailed some distance down the river. 

In the afternoon Benjamin Foster, long afterwards respected 
for his bravery and energy, called a meeting of some sixty of the 
bold spirits of Machias to see what might be done to thwart Cap¬ 
tain Moore’s purpose. The deliberations were held a short dis¬ 
tance outside the village where a little brook coursed through the 
field. The question of submission or resistance was discussed in 
an animated, yet serious manner for a time, when Foster tired of 
mere words, stepped across the brook—afterwards called the Foster 
Rubicon—and invited all who were in favor of trying to capture 
the three vessels in the harbor to come over to his side. The 
greater part of the company immediately followed him and the 
others crossed a little later. 

At the time the news of Lexington and Concord had been known 
in Machias but a few days. The Battle of Bunker Hill had not 
yet been fought. The Revolution was only in its beginning. 
Nevertheless without orders from any Continental Congress, nor 
any committee of safety except their own, and actuated only by the 
spirit of patriotism and the stirring of their fighting blood, having 
been foiled in their plan to apprehend Captain Moore, the citizens 
of Machias determined to pursue and capture the Margaretta. 

Monday morning under the lead of Jeremiah O’Brien they took 
possession of one of the lumber sloops, the Unity, and with about 
forty men and such war munitions as they could muster, set out 
in pursuit. Six O’Brien brothers were among the crew. Ben¬ 
jamin Foster manned the Falmouth Packet with volunteers from 
East Machias and started down the East River to join the Lenity. 
Unfortunately his vessel ran aground, but this accident in no wise 
deterred O’Brien’s men from their purpose. The Unity had left 
Machias without any particular command, but on the way down 
river, Jeremiah O’Brien was selected captain. With reckless 
bravery the Americans were engaging in a hazardous encounter. 
The Margaretta was armed with four-pounders and swivels and 
an ample supply of muskets and minor equipment. Aboard the 
Unity were about twenty muskets with only three rounds of 
ammunition. About half of the men were armed only with pitch- 
forks and axes. While the pursuit actually was in progress “our 
people built them breastworks of pine boards and anything they 


COASTAL MAINE 


341 


could find in the vessels that 'would screen them from the enemy’s 
fire.” With these meager and unusual arms and hastily impro¬ 
vised means of protection, the men of the Unity moved swiftly 
onward to the battle that J. Fenimore Cooper has called the 
Lexington of the Sea. 

The Unity under the skillful management of her crew proved to 
be a faster sailer than the Margaretta, and when Captain O’Brien 
approached the latter closely, Captain Moore demanded to know 
what his intentions were and threatened to fire if the Unity did not 
bear ofiF. Captain O’Brien in turn demanded the surrender of 
the Margaretta. Reluctantly, it would seem, the British captain 



PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE HEARING THE NEWS 

opened fire on the sloop. As the two vessels came together, the 
Unity’s bowsprit ran through the Margaretta’s mainsail, and John 
O’Brien, one of the brothers, jumped to the Margaretta’s quarter 
deck. Just at that moment the ships separated. Seven of the 
English crew discharged their muskets at O’Brien and then charged 
upon him 'with bayonets, but he leaped overboard and swam un¬ 
harmed to his comrades in arms. Again the Unity approached 
her enemy and the Machias men, so far as they were supplied with 
muskets, returned the British fire with cool determination and 
steady aim. The Margaretta’s helmsman was killed, leaving the 
schooner without guidance. With only three rounds of ammu¬ 
nition the Americans knew that if they captured the enemy they 
must gain their end by boarding the ship. The ships came together, 
O’Brien’s men grappled the British cutter and a sharp conflict at 
close range followed. Captain Moore, having singled out Jere¬ 
miah O’Brien as the colonial leader, threw several grenades at him 
with his own hands, and while thus engaged, fell mortally wounded. 
At this time the entire forces of the Unity leaped aboard the British 





342 


COASTAL MAINE 


cutter. The second officer in command, affrighted by such an 
impetuous onslaught, hastened to go below. The enemy had been 
taken by storm. Without leadership, the English saw the futility 
of continued resistance. “Do you all surrender?” cried Captain 
O’Brien; “If you do, throw down your weapons.” Muskets, hand¬ 
spikes and cutlasses were dropped on the deck and the exciting 
encounter of nearly an hour’s duration was ended. 



THE GORGE, BUCk’s HARBOR 


One of the frontiersmen w^as killed outright and another re¬ 
ceived his death wound. Robert Avery, a Connecticut sea captain 
whom Captain Moore on the way down the river had taken from 
his ship and impressed as pilot of the Margaretta, also lost his life 
in the battle. The loss on the British side was slightly larger. 
There was a genuine sorrow for Captain Moore among the Machias 
people, many of whom personally held him in high esteem, and his 
fate was regretted the more because it was known that after seeing 
the two lumber-laden sloops on the way to Boston, it was his inten¬ 
tion to proceed to Halifax to be married there. Indeed, his fiancee 
and another young lady who had relatives at Machias, had accom- 




COASTAL MAINE 


343 


panied him hither, and saw him, as wounded to his death, he was 
brought back to the frontier village. The settlers immediately 
sent a messenger to Nova Scotia to summon medical aid, but before 
he could have proceeded far on his way the youthful commander 
had passed beyond the need of earthly succor. 

The Margaretta was the first British ship captured by the Amer¬ 
icans in the War for Independence, and Jeremiah O’Brien is the 
first naval hero whose name is inscribed in that list which includes 
Jones and Perry and Farragut and Dewey. O’Brien transferred 
the armament of the Margaretta to the Unity, rechristened the 
Liberty, and went in quest of further adventure. About a month 
later at Buck’s Harbor, below Machiasport, he found two well 
armed English vessels which doubtlessly had been sent to regain 
the Margaretta. Benjamin Foster in his packet came to O’Brien’s 
aid and both enemy ships were taken without a struggle. The 
Continental Congress took notice of these courageous exploits at 
Machias and conveyed its thanks to Foster and O’Brien. The 
latter continued in the service of the colonies throughout the Revo¬ 
lution. He was one of the most fearless leaders concerned in that 
momentous conflict, and he fairly won the rank of commodore 
which our newly created navy bestowed upon him. 

In the September which followed the Declaration of Independ¬ 
ence a company of seventy men sailed from Machias to capture 
Fort Cumberland on Chignecto Bay in Nova Scotia. The com¬ 
mander, Jonathan Eddy, was a Nova Scotian who had been driven 
from home because of his open espousal of the American cause. 
It was well known that many of the inhabitants of the province 
were friendly to the colonial movements being carried out in New 
England at that time, and it was hoped that when Eddy’s men 
commenced operations, many of the Nova Scotia people would 
come over to him. Having arrived near the site of the fort, the 
initial attempts of Eddy’s small force were promising. A small 
detachment of British soldiers with their captain was captured, and 
a few days later a vessel bearing provisions to the fort was taken 
in the fog. Some of Eddy’s old neighbors, taking heart, joined 
him, augmenting his forces to one hundred and fifty men. But 
one dark night when an attack was made on the fortress itself, 
the tide of affairs turned. Colonel Eddy was repulsed with con¬ 
siderable loss, and to make his misfortune greater, his command 


344 


COASTAL MAINE 


was pursued and his vessels captured. A retreat through the forest 
was the only course left open, and nearly a month later the dis¬ 
heartened remnant of the expedition, hungry, worn, and half 
naked, succeeded in reaching Machias. 

It does not appear however that the Machias folks thought this 
repulse decisive, inasmuch as all through the earlier years of the 
war they believed their eastern neighbors could be won over and 
brought into the Revolutionary fold, and they ceased not to work 
towards that end. Pastor Lyon openly advocated an eastern 
movement and wrote to General Washington concerning it. John 
Allen, an influential and sagacious provincial refugee who had 
sought safety in Machias, was active in furthering such an attempt. 
The plan gained followers, provisions and munitions were about 
to be centered at Machias, and it seemed probable that the enter¬ 
prise would be carried out. 

Intelligence of these movements was not lacking to the English 
at Halifax who, as would be expected, decided to nip the proposed 

invasion in the bud. 
Consequently one Au¬ 
gust morning in 1777 
four English war ves¬ 
sels in command of Sir 
George Collier sailed 
into Machias Bay. It 
seemed as if the day 
appointed for vengeance 
had arrived, but the he¬ 
roic little woods settle¬ 
ment was as undaunted 
as it was impenitent at its resistance against mother authority. 
W^ith their consistent spirit of daring, the citizens determined to 
fight it out. Through the influence of John Allen, the chief of 
the Passamaquoddies and his warriors came to the support of the 
settlers. Women and children were sent to the woods for safety. 
A boom of logs was stretched across the river at the Rim, near 
the confluence of the Machias and East Rivers. Rude earthworks 
under the charge of Colonel Benjamin Foster were thrown up on 
the one side of the stream, and on the other side a similar pro¬ 
tection under the charge of Major George Stillman. Farther up 





COASTAL MAINE 


345 


the river, near the village, breastworks were constructed hastily 
under the direction of Captain Stephen Smith. 

As the British warships proceeded, they found the river channel 
with which they were not acquainted, nowise to their liking, and 
leaving the other three vessels, the Hope, a cutter carrying eighteen 
guns, proceeded to the log boom at the Rim. Here the English 
were greeted by a brisk fire from Foster’s and Stillman’s com¬ 
mands, but in the dense fog that prevailed no great damage was 
done. Indeed, the British succeeded in effecting a landing and 
under cover of the fog nearly succeeded in capturing Foster’s 
forces. Several buildings were set on fire and afterwards without 
much difficulty the boom was cut, and with the inflowing tide the 
Hope continued up the river and at sundown dropped anchor not 
far below Captain Smith’s breastworks. Boats were sent out to 
sound in the river to the end that the Hope might find a safe and 
advantageous position from which it could shell the town. 

The next morning while this work was progressing, Neptune, 
chieftain of the ’Quoddies, crawled through the grass and weeds 
from the earthworks and when he had gained a coveted position 
he fired at an English officer in one of the boats. The range was 
long and the Englishman was more surprised than harmed. Nep¬ 
tune reloaded and at the second report of his gun the officer fell 
dead. There was confusion on the river and excitement and 
elation on the shore. The Indians, overjoyed with the skill of 
their chief, gave unstinted utterance to their warwhoops in which 
the whites joined, so it is said, as loudly and as wildly as the red¬ 
skins. Almost immediately the Hope commenced to drop down 
the stream, shadowed constantly by the villagers along the river 
banks, ever eager to attack the enemy whenever the windings 
of the channel brought them near the shore. Owing to the 
galling fire to which she was subjected, the Hope was left pretty 
much to the caprice of the current and before reaching the Rim 
she went aground. Everybody went below for protection and the 
townsmen and Indians returned to the village for the night. 

The next morning the Hope was released by the rising tide, but 
scarcely so before all her enemies of the previous day had come 
to renew the attack. A continuous firing was directed from the 
shore and when a little below the Rim the hapless vessel grounded 
the second time. In the meantime the village people found a 


346 


COASTAL MAINE 




small cannon which they brought up to a position within range of 
the English vessel and opened fire upon her. The consternation 
of the British was so great that they prepared to abandon the Hope, 
but when they discovered the small size of the balls being hurled 
against them, they decided it was safer to remain where they were. 

All along the river 
there was the rush and 
flare of armed conflict. 
The Passamaquoddies 
made the fight more 
terrifying by their pene¬ 
trating, incessant war- 
whoops which the pale¬ 
faces took up and sec¬ 
onded until the forest 
BURNHAM TAVERN reechoed the savage yells 

and it seemed to the 
nerve-racked Britons that the river-woods were thronged with a 
multitude of bloodthirsty savages. In comparative safety the assail¬ 
ants continued their aggravating attack until the ship floated again 
and found protection close to her sister vessels out in the bay. It 
was the close of a scene of excitement such as Machias never expe¬ 
rienced before nor since. Surprised at such a show" of resistance. 
Sir George Collier de¬ 
layed a day or two and 
then sailed away, and 
like the false and un¬ 
gallant knight that he 
was, he afterwards re¬ 
ported to the admiralty 
that he had cleaned out 
thoroughly the rebel 
nest at Machias. 

Isolated and cut off 

Photo by Folsom & Pennell, Machias 

from communication 

. , , 1-1 WASHINGTON NORMAL SCHOOL 

With the west, and with 

the country at Castine on the one side and the east on the other in 
the possession of the British, the defense and maintenance of their 
town against superior strength was a signal exploit on the part of 















COASTAL MAINE 


347 


the residents of Machias. In those days when some of the colonists 
in other towns yielded, nobody ever heard of a citizen of Machias 
subcribing to the oath of allegiance to the King of England. 

From the time of its settlement Machias has been the well- 
known center of an interesting country and has held its own 
when many down-east towns have been drifting astern. The 
substantial old Burnham Tavern, erected in 1770 and still well 
preserved, possesses an interesting Revolutionary history. Here 
was received the news of the Battle of Lexington, here the 
patriots met in council, here the wounded commander was brought 
from the battle aboard the Margaretta, and here the second 
Masonic lodge in Maine was instituted and named for the 
lamented Warren of Bunker Hill fame. As early as 1771 the 
villagers called Rever¬ 
end James Lyon, a 
young Congregational 
minister and graduate 
of Princeton, to set¬ 
tle among them. The 
first meeting house was 
built in 1774 and be¬ 
sides being used as a 
church, it served for a 
courthouse and school- 
house. Pastor Lyon 
proved to be a valued 
leader and a thorough patriot, and he often was called during the 
War for Independence to express the desires of the frontier people 
in their formal documents and petitions to the General Court at 
Boston and to the colonial government and its officers. At first 
Lyon was the only minister between the St. George and the St. 
Croix, although in 1790 there were three ordained pastors within 
those limits. He remained in this one pastorate twenty-three years 
until his death, and became as indispensable to the life of Machias 
as did old Parson Smith to the people of Falmouth. To-day, after 
the lapse of many years, Machias is a town of substantial business 
and substantial people, cultured, travelled, and comfortably well 
supplied with earthly goods. The summer places of Roque Bluff, 
one of Maine’s scenic treasures, and the high and abrupt Point of 






FORT O BRIEN AND MACHIAS BAY 














COASTAL MAINE 


349 


Maine, in Machiasport, are frequented largely by the citizens of 
Machias and vicinity. 

Machiasport is a quaint coast village which from the top of a 
hill overlooks the widening Machias Bay, and in addition to being 
a good port, it possesses as good a location as can be found along 
this part of our coast. Its one principal street, more than a mile 
in length, follows all 
the crooks and curves 
of the shore line. Drake 
was well pleased with 
the place and quite ac¬ 
curately exclaimed: 

“The village of Ma¬ 
chiasport hugs the foot 
of a hill and then makes 
a dash up the steep as¬ 
cent to scatter itself 
above the brow, like a 
column of skirmishers, 
broken and hastening to take breath.” Cut in the traprock down 
the bay are some pictures that have long been interesting to his¬ 
torians and antiquarians. The rock is rather closely covered with 
figures of animals and men, together with lines which apparently 
represent streams and lakes. The work is ascribed to the Indians 
and is said to be the most extended of its kind in New England. 

Lumbering, as we have stated before, first drew settlers to this 
part of Maine and was for many years the backbone of its pros¬ 
perity. In connection with this industry the second railroad in 
Maine was operated in this remote corner of the State from Whit- 
neyville, west of Machias, to the wharves at Machiasport. Begin¬ 
ning in 1840 this railroad was in active service fifty years and 
did a big business in timber transportation. There were but two 
engines, and they would have passed for twins easily enough, had 
not one been named the Lion and the other the Tiger. These 
old locomotives now would excite our curiosity and nothing more, 
perhaps, but in those days they were considered not far behind the 
seven wonders. Each carried a large cumbersome smokestack, but 
no cab, and the engineer was obliged to occupy an open platform 
though the sun shone ever so hot, or the rain beat ever so violently. 



buck’s harbor, machiasport 




350 


COASTAL MAINE 


Passengers were allowed to ride free at their own risk. Both 
engines finally fell into the hands of a Portland junk dealer, but 
fortunately the Lion was rescued and placed in the museum of 
the University of Maine. 



THE LION AND TIGER 

The oldest and best known of the educational institutions of 
far Eastern Maine is Washington Academy at East Machias. 
For many years it has been an officially recognized fitting school 
for Bowdoin,—an affiliation enjoyed by only two or three other 
preparatory schools. The influence of this academy in past years 
is incalculable. It has been a powerful stimulus in inciting youths 
to prepare for and to fight life’s battles with the spirit that wins 
victory. Several names now familiar in the realms of literary 
work, such as George S. Hillard and Arlo Bates, are found in 
the list of former students. Of its graduates four became college 
presidents,—namely: Samuel Harris, of Bowdoin; George Harris, 
of Amherst; Roscoe Day, chancellor of Syracuse; and Samuel V. 
Cole, of Wheaton. 

Looking down from East Machias, ragged little hills were seen 
and the country coastward bore a seamy aspect that filled me with 




COASTAL MAINE 


351 



WHITNEYVILLE 


the anticipation of passing through a wild, unspoiled country, as 
I started down the road leading to Cutler. In this jaunt first 
impressions again were not lasting. The rough country was left 
behind, one or two winding streams struggling through the mud 
flats were crossed, and 
my course led through 
a rather level and nar¬ 
row stretch of farm¬ 
land, with Machias Bay 
on the right and the 
woods coming down 
closely on the left. Only 
once did I look back to 
get a farewell glance 
of Avery’s, Round Is¬ 
land, and the headlands, 
at the same time contemplating the pleasure this locality will give 
jaded city folks when it becomes filled with summer homes. 

I hastened on through a wide piece of woods beyond which was 
a dreamy arm of the ocean, which, did it but receive its just deserts, 
would be renowned far and near. The entire country slope and 

the waters were softened by 
the lazy haze that pervaded 
the atmosphere, and as I halted 
and overlooked the sea, I heard 
the sirens of repose calling to 
me and singing,—yes, I heard 
the gentle, compelling voices, 
enticing and tranquil, calling 
from the watery recesses and 
through the haze that hovered 
so lightly over Little Machias 
Bay. 

“Linger a while, hasten not, 
weary one! Cast away your 
cares. Here is rest, sweet, happy rest. Forget your haste, dear 
mortal! thrust aside anxiety and ambition! Compose yourself to 
inviting rest, restless one, who never knew rest before. A soft 
murmur, low and ever pleasant to hear, fills this secluded place. 



EAST MACHIAS 





352 


COASTAL MAINE 


The landscape is balmy and warm. You shall forget your care,— 
only tarry, linger a little while and be happy! From yonder trees 
the birds shall sing low, sweet, melodious songs. The music of 
charmed waters shall soothe you as they ripple on the shore. 

Like blissful shadows, the man¬ 
tles of comfort, forgetfulness, 
and repose shall fall over you. 
Rest, precious soul, rest, rest!” 

Thus sang the mermaids of 
repose in melodies so sweetly 
seductive and persuasive that 
they could not be resisted nor 
forgotten,—in melodies waft¬ 
ed through the dream haze 
from the haunts of the sirens 
of Little Machias Bay. 

Pursuing the eastern road two or three miles, I found myself 
looking down a long, beautiful water glen, such as I never had 
seen before in all the coast of Maine. High hills, steep and clad 
by the wavy foliage of deciduous trees, walled in either side. As 
I pressed on I came into the realization that this widening water 
glen was nothing else than 
Cutler harbor. 

We are telling now of a 
locality that is the least known 
of all the Maine coast region 
and pretty nearly devoid of 
historic interest, and yet it was 
our good fortune to find here 
a little fishing village more 
pleasing and enjoyable than 
any town we had found be¬ 
fore. In other coast villages 
varied interests may be discovered; there is a little of farming, 
mayhap, and the summer resort probably is more or less in evidence. 
But at Cutler fishing, pure and simple, was the sole industry of 
the people. Fishing boats go out at morn and come back at night. 
A row of fish houses of unmistakable smell line the shore. Under 
the flare of torches at evening the fishermen bait their trawls as 



CUTLER HARBOR 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY 









COASTAL MAINE 


353 


they converse with one another. Indeed, it was but a compara¬ 
tively short time ago that the noisy motor boat made its appearance 
here to supplant the small fishing craft borne along by the silent, 
graceful sail. 

One author whom we have read nosed about the water front at 
Cutler and counted the remains of old ships lying about the shore, 
and then remarked that it seemed more like an ocean graveyard 
than an honest harbor. Not so! not so! Every line is comely 
and perfect and round Little River Island standing out far m the 
loveliest harbor in Maine seems a queen of beauty reigning over 
the radiant shores! 

In more populous towns there are people aplenty who are eager 
to pour into listening ears the plaint of the improvident and the 
poor, and to lay the blame for all their troubles at the doors of 
our men of wealth, our leaders of enterprise, and our government; 
but we found no such person in Cutler. We were talking with an 
old fisherman whose horizon appeared to be bounded by Eastport 
and Lubec on one hand and Jonesport on the other, save for a 
none too definite knowledge of Portland; but in spite of his lack, 
or apparent lack of the knowledge of geography and travel, our 
old fisherman possessed good common sense and a faculty for 
comparison. 

“My boy sold two barrels of lobsters last winter for $160,” said 
the old man; “then he sent away twelve big lobsters in a half-barrel 
and got $9 for them. When I was a boy if anybody had told me 
that a lobster would ever fetch seventy-five cents Ed a-laughed 
at him. I used to sell big lobsters for two cents and a half, and 
sometimes there was no market at that and I had to heave them 
overboard. And it’s just so with every other kind of fish. It 
used to be so that we could ketch more, but now we get more for 
our fish and always have a market so we can sell them.” 

As we were about to depart we walked a short distance outside 
the village to look again at the promontories of Little River Island 
and Winter Head, like twin promontories, one in line with the 
other, and as near alike as two peas in a pod and together forming 
a picture that a lover of the coast always must remember; then 
we went back to the village street to take a final glance at the 
harbor and to inhale a whiff from the good old sea before bidding 
Cutler a reluctant farewell. 


13 


354 


COASTAL MAINE 


The country beyond is as rough and unkempt as any naturalist 
ever would wish to see. After emerging from a great forest, we 
tarried an hour at Moose River. It was the time of high tide 
when the water makes far up into the land around a high, though 
tiny island at the river’s mouth. It is both a place of quietude 
and of unusual beauty. A mile or two beyond is Haycock’s Harbor 
ensconced by pretty woods, and the next lap of our journey brought 
us to an island-filled bay with fishermen’s homes on the shores. 
Years ago a captain, named Bailey, thinking he was rounding 
Quoddy Head, ran in here and wrecked his ship, and since then 
the bay has been called Bailey’s Mistake. Utterly unlike its 
homely, prosaic name, Jim’s Head, extending across one side of 
the harbor, is easily one of the most noteworthy promontories of 
Maine. 

The heavens were overspreading with a glorious golden glow 
and the shadows were gathering fast. We hastened on beside the 
sea, passing through Goose River, the smallest hamlet of them 
all, and a little later sighted the church steeples on the hill of 
Lubec and caught a glance of the vapors borne from the fog¬ 
breathing Bay of Fundy. 

In the inland tier of towns parallel to those on the shore are 
Whiting, a farmlike community, but for all that a seaport place; 
Dennysville, named for Dennys, an old Indian hunter, and noted 

for its salmon pool; and Pem¬ 
broke, settled away back in 
1774 and for many years one 
of the most enterprising busi¬ 
ness towns in Maine. 

When this country was 
recognized as a part of New 
France, the voyager to Passa- 
maquoddy Bay saw well over 
towards the western mainland 
an island of considerable size, 
a trifle higher than its imme¬ 
diate neighbors, and covered 
with a dense, dark forest that contrasted sharply with the horizon 
behind it. To-day from the same bay the traveler sees on this 
island a little city, in part backed up solidly against the cliflFs and 



SALMON POOL AT DENNYSVILLE 



COASTAL MAINE 


355 


elsewhere covering the ascending hills. The island is Moose 
Island and the city is Eastport. 

At the beginning of the Revolution only one family lived on 
the island, but Massachusetts and New Hampshire fishermen came 
and the community grew. In 1798 there were thirty families 
and the settlement was incorporated as a town. Somewhat before 
this time the people very sensibly adjusted their “theological dif¬ 
ferences” and united to maintain a minister who could best rep¬ 
resent them all. The women with a proper decorum appeared at 
church attired in short loose gowns and wore aprons or handker¬ 
chiefs over their heads. In early years the only transportation was 
by water and for twenty years after its settlement Eastport had 
no highways. In 1806 a beginning had been made and a road 
was constructed through to Machias that year. All through its 
early history Eastport bore a reputation for adventure and smug¬ 
gling. The Embargo Act was disregarded entirely and a very 
considerable amount of merchandise was moved from Moose 
Island into Canada. Officers, and finally, the sloop-of-war Wasp, 
were sent to stop the illegal traffic. Although the utmost caution 
and vigilance were displayed by some of the officials, yet the dense 
fogs and dark nights aided the island folks and barrels of flour 
and the like simply would not stay on the American side. 

In early July in 1814 Sir Thomas Hardy appeared in Passa- 
maquoddy Bay with a fleet of five ships. Bearing a white flag, 
a minor British officer climbed the hill to Fort Sullivan and 
demanded that the town should surrender in five minutes. Major 
Putman, the commander, was ill, but determined to oppose the 
enemy, and he replied that he would defend the place. Mean¬ 
time the warships were put in position, the ports were opened, the 
guns were run out, and the matches were lighted, and a short dis¬ 
tance below the village eight hundred Englishmen with fifty pieces 
of artillery were landed. Putman was more determined than ever 
to fight, but the inhabitants thinking their homes would be de¬ 
stroyed, would not have it so. The British were allowed to take 
possession and presently the citizens of Eastport were summoned 
to the schoolhouse to take the oath of allegiance to the king. More 
than half of the islanders obeyed, some left rather than submit to 
the requirement, and probably there were some who did neither 
the one thing nor the other. The town was well filled with British 


356 


COASTAL MAINE 


soldiers and Fort Sullivan was enlarged and strengthened by the 
invading force. A theater was established and horse racing and 
dancing were added to the social life of the place. After the 
close of the war Eastport was held three years under the claim 
that Moose Island belonged to Canada according to the treaty made 
at the end of the Revolution. It is pleasing to state that the 



Photo by F. G. Milliken, Eastport 
MAGAZINE AND BARRACKS, FORT SULLIVAN 


English ruled the town kindly and justly and that there was a 
genuine good feeling between the townspeople and soldiers; but 
when the last redcoat stepped aboard the departing ships, the citizens 
all returned with alacrity to the government of President Madison. 

From the time of its establishment until now Eastport has de¬ 
pended on the fish of the sea for its livelihood. Year in, year out, 
it has prospered as the fishing industry has prospered. It was so 
when the place was a mere seashore hamlet. Fish were taken 
and cured for the general trade. Later on lobsters were canned 
in large quantities until the State put a ban on the selling of 
“shorts” and the “count” lobsters were found to be too expensive 
for the factories to handle. At the present time it is well worth 
the visitor’s while to go into one of the smokehouses and view the 
uncounted thousands of herrings “hung on the sticks” in the final 
stage of curing preparatory to being boxed and shipped to market. 
He is reminded of Ben Jonson’s remark tliat “the herring is the 




COASTAL MAINE 


357 


king of fish.” The herrings are first salted and when taken from 
the brine they glisten like silver. As the smoking progresses they 
turn to beautiful hues of black and gold. If the visitor is curious 
to see another branch of fish packing, he can step into another 
factory and learn how 
boneless cod is prepared. 

But in Eastport above 
and beyond everything 
else is the packing of 
enormous quantities of 
small herrings in oil or 
mustard. The product 
is labeled as American 
sardines and shipped to 
the world markets. The 
first sardine factory in 
our country was established at Eastport in 1875, and as it proved, 
was the forerunner of the great canneries that have sprung up 
around it. In that year the output totaled six hundred cases, while 
recently in the State as a whole in a single year the output was about 
two million cases, valued at $10,000,000. Among the fish canning 
industries of the United States this business ranks next to the can¬ 
ning; of salmon which is carried on along the Pacific coast. Sardine 

factories have been es¬ 
tablished at Machias- 
port, Boothbay Harbor, 
Portland, and a few 
other places, but the 
output of these outside 
plants is small in com¬ 
parison with that of 
Eastport and Lubec. In 
a good season more than 
one hundred and fifty 
sardine-laden boats call 
daily at the wharves of these two towns to discharge their catches. 

The herrings taken in the picturesque brush fish weirs along 
the coast come to many thousands of dollars in a year. This brush 
weir is an Indian invention and is, we think, the most primitive 










358 


COASTAL MAINE 


and simple of all the devices for catching fish. Eastport gathers 
tribute from the coast waters as far west as Castine and as far 
east as St. John. Its factories give employment to nearly all of 
its laboring population. 

In this eastern environment one is led to think of the fishing in¬ 
dustry and what it means to Maine. The sardine industry, impor¬ 
tant though it is, comes second to the lobster catch. From the time 
when Uncle Henry Sennet, of Orr’s Island, took thirteen hundred 
count lobsters in a day until the present time, the lobster fisherman 
has been such a familiar figure that we have dismissed him with only 
a passing thought as he has been passing hither and thither engaged 
in the duties of his peculiar calling. Since Uncle Henry’s day the 



A FISH WEIR 


Photo by Milliken 


supply has growm a hundred times more scarce, very likely because 
the dogfish and other sharks like to eat lobsters better than they 
like to swim; and it is not supposed that when millions of these 
crustaceans were canned, as was formerly the case, the supply tended 
to increase. However, if the catch has diminished, the price has 
increased and in 1920 the lobster output headed our Maine fishing 
industries with a business worth more than two million dollars. 

The time was when almost every Maine shore village sent several 
fishing vessels to the “Banks,” but now it is doubtful if the entire 






COASTAL MAINE 


359 


State sends a dozen. The disappearance of the mackerel did much 
to bring about the change, and the decline in the catch of all edible 
fish had an influence; but to-day the men who cover the fishing 
grounds from Eastport to Cape Cod bring in returns which go 
far to keep fishing from becoming an obsolete industry. It is a 
long day since fishermen used to throw wash bait out of a dory 
and haul in boatloaVls of mackerel at a time; it is a long day since 
codfish were caught in quantities with hook and line to the present 
system of nets and seines and beam trawlers, but it is likely that 
fishing will continue to be a lucrative industry. Fully three mil¬ 
lion dollars are invested in fishing equipment in Maine. The raw 
fish bring the fishermen 
more than five and one- 
half millions per year, 
and the wholesale price 
of all fish products ex¬ 
ceeds fifteen millions 
yearly. 

One of Eastport’s 
charms lies in its easy, 
old-fashioned ways. It 
is a busy city of more 
than four thousand 
inhabitants; yet people 
turn out to the post office and gossip after the manner of a country 
village. But the extreme conservatism that holds back so many 
places in the State does not abide here. To the casual observer the 
fault seems to incline the other way. Eastport folks surely appear 
to spend more money than the people of most Maine towns, and a 
considerable part of them do not seem to spend wisely. 

Every stranger should climb to the top of one of the rock knobs 
back of old Fort Sullivan, feeling assured all the while that he 
will be amply repaid for his exertion. No other spot in this part 
of the State commands so broad an outlook. Says the venerable 
historian: “The exterior of the whole island at the water’s edge 
is extremely irregular; and its surface is sufficiently variegated 
with swells, hills, and valleys.” To this we add a fervent amen. 
In truth we see nothing in the physical aspect of Eastport that 
savors of regularity. The straits of the sea are on all sides. Deer 



BOATS IN EASTPORT HARBOR 





360 


COASTAL MAINE 


Island stretches away like an ill-shaped wedge dividing the waters 
leading to the St. Croix and the roads to the Bay of Fundy. 
Directly east is the long outline of Campobello. Towards the 
south the bay broadens and notches the land with numerous coves 
and inlets and beyond all these the roofs of Lubec gleam in the 
summer sun. 

Mr. N. P. Willis with a decided lack of appreciation of the 
charm of his native State, used to tell the story of the master of 
a whaler, who before starting on a voyage to the Pacific, stuck his 
jack-knife into the fog of Penobscot Bay. Upon his return a 
year later he found the knife still sticking just where he had 
left it. We charge that the story is a libel insofar as it applies 

to the Penobscot region, but 
possibly with some small 
reservations, it might be set 
down as credible in the lo¬ 
cality around Passamaquoddy 
Bay. Along the coast a 
“down-east fog” is a by- 
v/ord and there are said to 
be summers when the water- 
mist is fairly constant; on the other hand we always have found 
Eastport as little addicted to fog mulls as Portland is, and Pro¬ 
fessor Shaler of Harvard, 
who knew the Atlantic coast 
better than most people do, 
stated that the Passamaquoddy 
country presents the best 
combination of desirable fea¬ 
tures to a person seeking a 
location for a summer home. 

One day we were stand¬ 
ing on the wharf at East- 
port waiting for the staunch 
little steamboat to come to 
take us to Campobello, but 
the boat was nowhere in sight and we were looking out over the 
harbor and expecting every moment to see her coming in. Sud- 



AND THE SAME PLACE SIX 
HOURS AFTERWARD 








COASTAL MAINE 


361 


denly we heard a whistle at the edge of the very wharf on which 
we stood, and a little puff of steam arose as the boat for which 
we were waiting darted away from the pier and out into the 
harbor. It is not uncommon for the tide here to drop twenty- 
five or thirty feet, and all the time we had been looking over the 
tof of the steamboat. Lad it occurred to us to stand at the edge 
of the landing and look dowriy we would not have been left blink¬ 
ing in foolish surprise. 

Many people, apparently, have the idea that Eastport is the 
“jumping-off place” beyond which at most there can be only a 
few islands, but anybody who arrives in this city with that idea 
soon discovers his mistake. He sees land extending away to the 
northeast just as he saw it at Portland, or Camden. If he so 
wills, he can make an easy trip from Eastport to St. John, whence 
he can travel four hundred miles by rail to the Sidneys on Cape 
Breton Island; and if he wishes to go farther, he can cross the 
Strait of Belle Isle into Newfoundland and all the time traveling 
east, proceed to the city of St. Johns, a place more than one thou¬ 
sand miles from Eastport. 

In an industrial sense Lubec is similar to Eastport, though 
smaller. Its water front is extensive for a place of its size, with 
a sardine factory occu¬ 
pying every good loca¬ 
tion. On the outskirts 
of the town are many 
weather-beaten two- 
room or three-room 
houses, or camps, to 
which numerous factory 
workers come from 
their bona fide homes 
to live during the can¬ 
ning season. The vil¬ 
lage of Lubec is sightly 
and beautiful. One would have to travel a whole day’s journey 
in search of another location as fine. Years ago ships were huilt 
here and Lubec sent a goodly fleet to sea, but times have changed 
and the place is now a fish factory town. 






362 


COASTAL MAINE 


As the little steamboat plies between the two towns, it is three 
miles from Lubec to Eastport, and one day we thought it would 
be a pleasant walk back to the latter city by the road skirting the 
shore. Before setting out, however, we prudently asked a Lubec 

storekeeper the distance to 
Eastport by the shortest way. 

“Forty miles,” came the 
answer. 

“Forty miles!” we echoed 
with incredulous surprise. 

“Yes, forty miles. You see 
the country inland for quite a 
ways back is all cut up by the 
water, though you don’t see it 
so from here. If you were 
going by road to Eastport, you 
would have to start down the 
Whiting road and turn up to Dennysville, from which you would 
swing round to Pembroke, and keep straight on to Eastport. Yes, 
sir, you would have to cover forty good long miles.’' 

Lubec is surrounded by wonderful scenery. A beautiful view 
is gained in looking past the little harbor islands to Eastport,—a 
view as beautiful as was 
seen in looking from 
Eastport to Lubec. Be¬ 
tween the village and 
Campobello is a water- 
gut appropriately called 
the Narrows through 
which the outgoing tidal 
waters rush as if they 
were coursing through 
a mill race. Looking 
far away to the south, 
the matchless cliffs of 
Grand Manan may be discerned and closer to hand the mainland 
shore bending and extending to the east for three miles or so into the 
ocean, and ending in a point just in front of some dangerous rocks. 
Close to the outer end of the bluff and in marked contrast to its 








COASTAL MAINE 


363 


dense forest background, a well trimmed grass plot is inclosed and to 
complete the picture a lighthouse, striped like a zebra, rises from the 
enclosure to a height of one hundred and twenty-five feet above the 
water. This promontory is a forbidding place to mariners and is 
known the whole coast along as Quoddy Head, or West Quoddy 
Head. It is the most eastern point of land in the United States. 

While at Lubec we asked one of the residents to tell us about the 
Jernegan gold swindle. A quiet smile passed over the man’s face 
and we gathered the following story: A few years since Jernegan 
was the pastor of one of the churches at Lubec. He was a good 
speaker and discharged his duties to the full satisfaction of his par¬ 
ishioners. Meanwhile acting upon the fact, or supposition, that mi¬ 
nute quantites of gold are held in solution in sea water, he claimed 
that he had discovered a method of collecting the precious metal 
therefrom by electrolysis. Wealthy men were interested and plans 
for carrying out the work on a large scale were formed. Through 
clever representations investors were made to believe in the scheme 
and capital was not wanting. After some shifting about to find 
a place wholly suitable for such an enterprise, an old tidal grist 
mill at North Lubec was taken for the nucleus of what after¬ 
wards became Plant No. 1. Great plank chambers were con¬ 
structed and submerged in the sea. A watchman was constantly 
on duty and the secret processes employed were guarded well. In 
the upper story of the mill a well equipped laboratory was estab¬ 
lished and small but heavy packages were forwarded to New York 
every week. The most curious old seafarer could gain no inkling 
of what took place within the mysterious planken chambers, but one 
fact was clear,—gold was brought out,—gold, so it was alleged, 
that had been extracted from the waves. The concern’s stock con¬ 
tinued to sell freely and a considerable part of the money received 
was paid back to the stockholders in dividends, while Jernegan and 
his associates took care of the rest. The business prospered more 
than ever and stock-selling agents were sent farther afield. Was it 
not true that gold existed in ocean water.? And here was a prac¬ 
tical and sound enterprise for a certainty, whose dividends were 
veritable witnesses of its worth. What could hinder the owners 
from outrunning the Rothschilds and the Astors.? The golden 
stream was tapped and came pouring in, not from the beryl-green 
waters of Lubec, but from southern New England and the West. 


364 


COASTAL MAINE 


More extensive operations were planned and one day to the 
surprise of the town, the Boston boat brought sawmill machinery, 
derricks, and dredges, together with a large crew of Italian 
laborers. It chanced that an old canal, long unused, ran from 
the sea to a bay. Through this canal the water constantly flowed 

or ebbed, according to the turn of the 
tide. Across the canal a dam was con¬ 
structed to better regulate the ebb-tide 
flow in its course through the long 
series of boxes, or ‘‘accumulators,” 
until the flood tide could return in 
strength. This was the keystone of 
Plant No. 2. Offices were built, a 
large boarding house was erected, and 
a good-sized sawmill was put into oper¬ 
ation. Off shore, tugs were darting 
here and there and dragging up the 
heavy logs that had been brought from 
Nova Scotia. The pounding of pile 
drivers never ceased. Every man who 
sought work was engaged and given 
good wages. A church was builded 
and its services were attended enthusi¬ 
astically by the employees and pro¬ 
moters of the work. The old highway 
toll bridge was replaced by a structure 
of steel. Other improvements were in 
sight; future prospects were roseate, 
and all went as merrily as weddinor 
bells. 

^hoto byMilhken One Slimmer afternoon Rumor be- 

INDIAN GIRL IN COSTUME ^ a 4. U* 

gan to ily about the town and to whis¬ 
per that all was not well at Plant No. 2. Folks began to talk 
and question and the local telephone exchange was kept busy. It 
was pay day and none of the prominent officials were on hand and 
there was no money. A small army of excited foreigners sur¬ 
rounded the office and demanded its wages. One minor official,— 
who by the way believed the concern was sound and honest,—was 
present and did yeoman’s service in an attempt to quell the rising 





COAST'AL MAINE 


365 


storm. His eiforts were of no avail. The bubble had burst and 
another chapter had been written in the book, already large, which 
narrates the gullibility of the American people. 

Standing on the heights at Eastport and gazing over the narrow¬ 
ing bay towards the St. Croix and the country where the hill 



GOV. SOPIEL MITCHELL AN INDIAN BRAVE 

(of the Passamaquoddy Tribe) (Ex-Governor William Neptune) 


ranges fade in the distance, we are moved by the subtile lure of 
it all and are impelled by the same emotions, we doubt not, that 
influenced de Monts and his followers three centuries ago. Even 
as they sailed up the 
river, so will we. 

Five miles above 
Eastport is Pleasant 
Point, the village of the 
Passamaquoddies. More 
than four hundred In¬ 
dians maintain their 
homes here, and take a 
deep though quiet pride 
in their church, their 
school, and their tribal customs. The children are a happy, con¬ 
tented lot. In school they study English and their native tongue. 
The tribe supports a good baseball team and a band. One of 
their laws is that no stranger shall remain within the village 













366 


COASTAL MAINE 


after six o’clock in the evening. They preserve the form of 
government which was guaranteed them by Massachusetts long 
before Maine became a State on its own account. There is con¬ 
siderable rivalry every four years in the contest for the governor¬ 
ship, an office which carries no 
small honor within the tribe as 
well as a salary of fifty dollars 
per annum. Almost without 
exception the Indians are re¬ 
spected and industrious citizens 
who make a good living from 
hunting, basket-making, guid¬ 
ing, and working in the lum¬ 
ber camps, and their condition 
in life is not at all as Wil¬ 
liamson stated it in 1832 when 
he dismissed the subject of the 
Passamaquoddies with these 
words: “At Pleasant Point 
there are about one hundred and forty habitations, or wigwams.” 
But in the face of their prosperity and friendly feeling for their 
palefaced neighbors, no stretching of the imagination can make 
us believe that these 
people are sympathetic 
with all the striving and 
forwardness of modern 
life. Stolid, dignified, 
and led by the lure of 
the forest, they are In¬ 
dians still. We are glad 
it is so. 

Oak Bay, a miniature 
fragment of inland 
ocean, and St. Croix 
Island, the site of de 
Mont’s colony, are passed and we approach the river port of 
Robbinston. History records that this place was taken by the 
British in 1814 soon after the surrender of Eastport. Formerly 
it was a progressive town, and is now the site of an important 



SARDINE FACTORY AT ROBBINSTON 



Photo by Milliken 

SEAL HUNTERS RETURNING FROM 
THE CHASE 












COASTAL MAINE 


367 


sardine business. Nearly opposite on the other side of the river 
is the Canadian town of St. Andrews, now a decadent port, but 
noted as a summer resort. We speed onward past Red Beach 
with its quarries of richly colored granite to a line where the 
channel enters a dense forest. Little lighthouses at intervals stand 
on the Canadian side. For a considerable distance the course is 



PULPIT ROCK, NEAR CALAIS 

narrow and crooked and rocky. As the woods are left behind, 
fields come down to the river’s edge and on either side the stream 
is paralleled by an irregular row of farmhouses along a country 
road. The river course broadens again. Here we are close to 
the thickly populated part of Calais. We wish we might convey 
some real idea of the lazy summer beauty of this part of the 
St. Croix; or that some clear, crisp winter morning the reader 
might see, as we have seen, the picture of emerald and pearly 
white when blended by nature’s matchless brush, the reflection of 
an eastern bliifi* mirrored on the still bosom of the river. 








368 


COASTAL MAINE 


Readers of her pleasant stories will recall that Harriet Prescott 
Spofford was born at Calais, although when fourteen years old she 
went to Newburyport and completed her school life in Massa¬ 
chusetts and New Hampshire. Necessity for a while compelled 
her to write to gain bread for those dependent on her, and when 
she came to live in more affluent circumstances, her Jove of literary 
work impelled her to continue in her writing. It is to Mrs. Spof- 
ford’s credit that she always acknowledged the impress made by 
her parent State upon her girlish mind. Writing of Maine she 
says: “There is to me a poetry about her hills that does not belong 



Photo by Campbell, Calais 

THE ST. CROIX, CALAIS 


to the hills of greater height; her forests are darker and sweeter 
than other woods, and I shall sail the unreturning voyage before 
I forget the seas that girt her coast with the flashing barriers.” 

Calais, the “Border City,” is a manufacturing center and sea¬ 
port. In the northern edge of the town are some big waterfalls 
below which the St. Croix has rounded out a broad basin, renowned 





COASTAL MAINE 


369 


among fishermen and often called Union Pool. Before all other 
eastern waters, it is the favorite haunt of the big sea salmon and 
sportsmen are not surprised when a twenty-five-pound beauty is 
landed. Just below the pool an international bridge crosses the 
river to St. Stephen. Though one is American and the other 
Canadian, the two little towns in reality are twin cities. It mat¬ 
ters not if the Stars and Stripes float in the breeze on one side 
and the Union Jack on the other. Calais people go over to help 
St. Stephen make merry on Dominion Day, and St. Stephen people 
come over to help Calais celebrate the Glorious Fourth. The Are 
department of one town holds itself in readiness to help the other 
when needed. This spirit of good fellowship and cooperation is 
wholly sensible and genuine. Yet it was not always thus. A fine 
old gentleman in Calais remarked: “When I was a boy and any¬ 
thing special was going on, the motto was: ‘Keep on your own side 
of the river.’ ” 

Calais is the last of the eastern sea terminals of the United States, 
and perhaps is destined in a few years to share with St. Stephen 
one of the best and most prosperous of Atlantic ports. In this 
border city for a little while we bid the reader “Good-bye.” 


I 


NOTES 


Page 43 .—Se wall’s Bridge, constructed at considerable expense 
in the latter part of the eighteenth century, is said to be the 
oldest bridge built on wooden piers in the United States. 

Page 53.— Legend of St. Aspinquid. In a recent number of 
Sprague’s Journal an eminent authority of Indian life and 
customs contends that several writers have erred in making 
St. Aspinquid a real historical character, or at least in writing 
the story of him as if it were a true statement of facts. The 
point seems very well taken, and after reading the story as I 
have written it, I think I may have helped to further the same 
impression; for I cannot deny that I have stated the series of 
events, as they relate to St. Aspinquid, in a direct, matter-of-fact 
manner. As I wrote it, I thought of it merely as a legend, 
and did not for a moment think that anybody would suppose it 
anything else. It is not likely that the story has the slightest 
foundation, except that an Indian of some influence became a 
convert and besought others of his race to accept Christianity. 
This fact certainly is not a sufficient basis for the story as it 
usually is told. But however it started and grew, I am glad 
we have the legend. 

In other places I have stated incidents that have come down 
to us—I have told the stories—which none of us are likely to 
accept as truth. But I judge such passages will be so easily 
understood at their real worth, whatever it is, that they will 
cause no perplexity or misconception in the mind of any one 
of my readers. 

Opposite page 87.— White Island Light instead of Star Island 
Light, as it reads in the title of the illustration. 

Page 185.— The Two Lights. Perhaps this name will change 
gradually. For nearly a century at night two lights have shown, 
each from its separate tower, so that they became a familiar and 
historic landmark. In June, 1924, the light in the western 
tower was discontinued, and a new light of great power was 
installed in the eastern tower. The change, which is an un¬ 
questioned improvement, caused no little regret to the people of 
the Cape country. The unused lighthouse is to remain. 


COASTAL MAINE 


371 


Page 249.— Hockomock Head. There is another version of the 
story, as follows: Some Indians had been troublesome in the 
Wiscasset region, and the aroused settlers ran one of the red- 
men, said to be an Indian of rank, down to this headland. 
When the savage saw that escape from his pursuers was impos¬ 
sible, he threw his gun from him and crying “Hockomock! 
Hockomock!” leaped from the headland and perished in the 
river. Years afterwards, as it is reported, the remains of a gun 
of French make were found in a crevice of the rocks at Hock¬ 
omock Head. 

Page 305.—The Old Church. We refer to the Unitarian 
Church. It was designed by Bulfinch. 


AFTERWORD 

Now, when the making of this book is nearly completed, the 
author wishes to express his heartfelt thanks to the photographers, 
the Superintendent of the Lafayette National Park, the Chambers 
of Commerce, the newspaper workers, and the score of others, 
who have rendered him invaluable assistance in the preparation of 
the work. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Along the Maine Shore—Portland Head Light. Frontispiece 

“That Wind In and Between and Out”. 9 

A Maine Headland. 10 

Shellings . 11 

The Sagadahoc . 12 

When Cabot Sailed By. 13 

St. Croix Island. 15 

The St. Croix River. 16 

Fernald’s Point . 17 

Pulpit Rock, Castine . 21 

Baron Castin . 23 

Indian Bar—Castine . 24 

Holbrook Island Thoroughfare... 27 

Site of the Missions and Fort Madison. 29 

Chapel of Our Lady of Holy Hope. 29 

Monhegan . 30 

Pentecost Flarbor . 30 

Looking Up the St. George. 32 

Entrance to the St. George.. 32 

Seguin . 34 

Entrance to the Kennebec. 35 

The Kennebec . 35 

Fort Popham and Sabino Head. 36 

View from Sabino Hill. 37 

Boon Island. 41 

Cape Neddick River. 41 

The Nubble . 42 

York Harbor. 42 

York River and SewalPs Bridge. 43 

The York Shore. 44 

Beside the Big Sea. 45 

Meintire Garrison House. 46 

The Old Jail. 47 

Bald Head Cliff. 48 

Another View of the Cliff. 49 

The Flume . 5.0 

Longsands, York Beach. 52 

The Shortsands, York Beach. 5 3 

Congregational Church, York. 54 

Congregational Church, Wells.. 5 5 

Wells Beach . 56 

Bridge in the Salt Marshes. 58 

A Bit of Ogunquit. 58 















































illustrations 


373 


A Restful Scene at Ogunquit. 59 

Sand Dunes, Ogunquit. 59 

The Inter-State Memorial Bridge. 60 

The Old Battleship Kearsarge, Kittery. 61 

Battleship New Hampshire in Front of Kittery. 62 

“The Peace Building”. 62 

Launching First Submarine Built at Kittery. 63 

Kittery Point . 63 

Old Ferry Landing, Kittery. 64 

Old Bray House. 65 

At Kittery Point. 66 

The Piscataqua at Kittery. 66 

Sir William Pepperrell. 67 

Sir William’s Home. 68 

Sarah Orne Jewett. 75 

Rocks at Appledore. 76 

“With Rifts and Chasms and Storm-bleached Jags”. 77 

The Unchanging Isles of Shoals. 78 

The Old Man of the Sea. 80 

Gosport Church . 8)2 

“Beaten by the Bitter Brine”. 84 

White Island Light. 86 

A Busy Manufacturing Center. 89 

The Pepperrell Mills. 90 

Falls in the Saco. 91 

The Harbor . 91 

The Sentinel Pine of Saco Bay. 92 

The Incoming Waves .. 93 

Health and Flappiness at Old Orchard. 93 

Playing on the Rocks at Bay View. 94 

Rural Scene in Heart of Old Orchard. 94 

Old Orchard Beach. 95 

The Pier... 

Cascade Falls, Saco. 

“A Wandering Country Road”. 99 

Rocks at Biddeford Pool. ^^9 

Lafayette Elm.. 


First Parish Church, Kennebunk. 102 

A Street of Kennebunkport. ^03 

Spouting Rock, Kennebunkport. ^04 

Fish Houses, Cape Porpoise. J05 

Prout’s Neck . 

Road to Pine Point. 

A Summer Home. 















































374 COASTAL MAINE 

The Union Station. Ill 

Maine Central Coal Pockets. 112 

Looking Towards the Islands. 113 

Fort Allen Park—Eastern Promenade. 114 

Western Promenade . 116 

The Reed Statue, Western Promenade. 117 

A State Street House. 118 

State Street in Winter. 119 

Docked . 120 

The Presumpscot . 121 

In Honor of William Cleeve. 123 

Bridge on Baxter Boulevard. 123 

Lincoln Park. 124 

Exposition Building . 124 

White Head, Portland Harbor. 125 

In the Old Part of Portland. 127 

Congress Street . 128 

Congress Street Looking Towards Munjoy Hill. 130 

Munjoy Hill Observatory. 131 

Looking Down Middle Street. 132 

Surf at White Head, Portland.. 134 

Grand Trunk Station. 136 

One of the Grand Trunk Elevators and Wharf. 138 

Commodore Edward Preble. 143 

Longfellow Square . 144 

Wardsworth-Longfellow House . 145 

Henry W. Longfellow. 145 

Deering Oaks . 147 

Thomas Brackett Reed. 148 

Reed’s Birthplace . 149 

Sweatt Museum and Wingate Mansion. 151 

The Lost Pearl Diver. 152 

Franklin Simmons. 153 

Hercules and Alcestis. 154 

The Promised Land. 155 

General Neal Dow. 157 

Williston Church . 158 

City Hall—Portland . 159 

Kotzschmar Memorial Organ. 160 

Present-Day Bridge at Ogunquit. 165 

The Dam at Stroudwater. 172 

A Section of the Warren Mills. 172 

Gorham Normal School. 173 

The Presumpscot at Stroudwater. 174 

Old Mill at West Falmouth. 175 















































ILLUSTRATIONS 

Yarmouth . 

The Bowdoin . 

Codman Tavern, Freeport. 

Approaching South Freeport. 

A View from Peaks Island. 

Little Diamond Island. 

An Island Headland. 

Lieutenant Robert E. Peary. 

A Long Island Scene. 

Cliff Island .’ ’ ' 

Deer Point, Chebeague. 

Cape Cottage, Cape Elizabeth. 

Shore Scene, Cape Elizabeth. 

A Bit of Cape Elizabeth Shore. 

Richmond’s Island . 

Pejepscot Falls . 

New Meadows River. 

The College Chapel. 

Massachusetts Hall . 

Walker Art Building. 

Hubbard Hall (College Library). 

The Bowdoin Pines. 

Class of ’78 Gateway. 

Franklin Pierce . 

Melville W. Fuller. 

The Peary Home on Eagle Island. 

House in Which Uncle Tom’s Cabin Was Written 

The Pearl House, Orr’s Island. 

The Giants Stairway, Bailey’s Island. 

Between Orr’s and Great Island. 

Rev. Elijah Kellogg. 

Cundy’s Harbor . 

A Cove at Small Point. 

The Kennebec off Phipsburg. 

Small Point Fishermen. 

Popiiam Beach . 

The William P. Frye. 

Battleship Georgia . 

The King’s Dock. 

William King . 

The Bridge to Arrowsic. 

Looking Towards Pemaquid. 

Surf at Pemaquid Point. 

New Harbor . 

Pemaquid Point .. 


375 

176 

176 

177 

177 

178 

179 

180 

181 

182 

182 

183 

184 

185 

186 

187 

188 

189 

190 

191 

192 

192 

193 

194 

195 

195 

196 

197 

199 

199 

200 

200 

202 

203 

203 

204 

204 

206 

207 

209 

210 

214 

215 

216 

217 

218 















































376 COASTAL MAINE 

Pemaquid Beach . 220 

Pemaquid Harbor . 220 

Restored Tower of Fort William Henry. 223 

Phips Point, Woolwich. 226 

Sir William Phips. 228 

Longest Bridge in Maine. 231 

Marie Antoinette Flouse. 231 

The Governor Smith House. 232 

Fort Edgecomb . 232 

The Narrows. 233 

St. Patrick’s Church. 234 

Oyster Shell Heaps at Damariscotta. 235 

Falls in Alewive Brook. 236 

Alewive Fishing . 237 

Damariscotta River . 237 

A Glimpse of East Boothbay. 238 

South Bristol. 238 

Christmas Cove . 239 

Thrumcap . 239 

Ocean Point . 240 

Boothbay Harbor . 241 

A Wharf Scene at Boothbay Harbor. 242 

Out for a Sail. 243 

The Lobster Hatchery. 244 

Squirrel Island . 245 

The Cuckolds . 245 

Pierce’s Cove, Southport. 246 

View at Five Islands. 247 

The Walpole Church. 250 

Interior View of Walpole Church. 250 

Round Pond . 252 

Friendship. 252 

In Waldoboro Village. 25 3 

Near Broad Cove. 254 

The Old Lutheran Church. 255 

Mona Island and-Monhegan Harbor. 257 

White Head . 259 

The Old Washerwoman. 260 

Waymouth Boulder, Thomaston. 261 

General Henry Knox. 263 

Montpelier . 265 

Where the Highway Bridges a Limestone Quarry. 267 

A Quarry Lake. 267 

A Train on the Lime Rock R. R.. 268 

A Lime Kiln. 268 















































ILLUSTRATIONS 


377 


Owl’s Head. 

Beam Trawlers . 

Curing Fish . 

Maxine Elliott . 

Gertrude Elliott . 

Matinicus Harbor . 

A Wharf at Matinicus. 

Eastern Harbor, Criehaven . 

Matinicus Rock . 

Pulpit Harbor, North Haven. 

Granite Quarry at Vinalhaven . 

Vi nal haven .. 

Islesboro . 

Camden and Mount Battie. 

Maiden Cliff and Lake Megunticook. 

Beauchamp Point, Rockport. 

A Shore Road in Stonington. 

A Belfast Residence. 

Memorial Bridge, Belfast. 

Belfast Harbor . 

A Searsport Street. 

Fort Knox. 

Approaching Winterport . 

Dyce’s Head . 

Castine . 

Wardsworth Cove . 

Northwest Creek, Castine. 

The Penobscot at Hampden. 

Dorothy Dix Park, Hampden. 

Oakum Bay, Castine.^. 

View from Fort George, Castine. 

Normal School Building, Castine. 

Goose Rocks, Deer Isle. 

Deer Isle Thoroughfare. 

Bluehill Bay. 

The King’s Roads, Union River. 

Hon. Eugene Hale. 

Public Library, Ellsworth. 

The Tent Village. 

The Bowl . 

Early Morning, Bar Harbor. 

McKinley Village and Bass Harbor.- 

Boat Pier, Southwest Harbor. 

As Seen from the South. 

Cliff on Sutton Island, Southwest Harbor 


269 

270 

270 

271 

272 

273 

273 

274 

275 

276 

277 

278 
280 
282 

283 

284 

285 
288 
288 

289 

290 

291 

292 
295 
297 

300 

301 

302 

303 
303 
305 
305 
308 
308 
310 
310 

312 

313 

313 

314 

315 
315 
317 

317 

318 


14 















































378 COASTAL MAINE 

Entrance to Somes Sound. 319 

Somesville at the Head of the Sound. 320 

Eagle Lake . 322 

View from Bar Harbor. 323 

Duck Brook Falls in Late Autumn. 324 

The Sullivan Ferry. 325 

Thunder Hole . 326 

Anemone Cave . 327 

Crabtree Ledge Light. 328 

Prospect Flarbor . 329 

West Gouldsborough . 329 

Summer Time in Steuben. 330 

Long Bridge, Milbridge. 330 

A Corner of Cherryfield.. 331 

A Blueberry Canning Factory. 331 

“Seining the Weir,” Addison. 332 

Jonesport . 332 

Harbor View, Jonesport. 333 

Chandler’s River at Jonesboro. 334 

Machias Falls . 337 

Another View of the Falls. 337 

Machias. 339 

Pledging Allegiance . 341 

Hearing the News. 341 

The Gorge, Buck’s Harbor. 342 -- 

Wharves at Machias. 344 

Burnham Tavern . 346 

Washington Normal School. 346 

Approaching Roque Bluff. 347 

Fort O’Brien and Machias Bay. 348 

Buck’s Harbor, Machiasport. 349 

The Lion and Tiger. 350 

Whitneyville . 351 

East Machias. 351 

Washington Academy . 352 

Cutler Harbor . 352 

Salmon Pool at Dennysville. 354 

Magazine and Barracks, Fort Sullivan. 356 

A Smoked Herring Factory. 357 

Sardine Factories, Eastport. 357 

A Fish Weir. 358 

Boats in Eastport Harbor. 359 

At High Tide. 360 

And the Same Place Six Hours Afterward. 360 

Lubec . 361 















































ILLUSTRATIONS 379 

Passamaquoddy Bay . 362 

West Quoddy Head. 362 

Indian Girl in Costume. 364 

Gov. Sopiel Mitchell. 365 

An Indian Brave. 365 

A Part of the Tribe. 365 

Seal Hunters Returning from the Chase. 366 

Sardine Factory at Robbinston. 366 

Pulpit Rock, Near Calais. 367 

The St. Croix, Calais. 368 














INDEX 


Abbe Reynal, 24 
Abdiel, 153 
Abenquid, 224 
Acadia, 20, 23, 25 
Adams, John, 251, 291 
Adams, Gov. Samuel, 190 
Adams, Rev., 332, 336 
Addison, 328, 332, 333 
Agamenticus, Mount, 41, 53 
Akers, Elizabeth Allen, 152 
Akers, Paul, 152, 155 
Aldsworth, Robert, 219 
Allen, Captain of the Defiance, 327 
Allen, John, Col., 344 
Allerton, Isaac, 336 
Aina, 233, 236 
Alphonse, Jean, 293 
Andover, Mass., 201 
Andros, Sir Edmund, 26, 27, 221, 
222, 228 

Androscoggin River, 188 
Annapolis, 14. See Port Royal 
Antoinette, Marie, 150, 231, 232 
Appledore, 76, 77, 79, 81, 83, 84, 
85 

Argali, Capt. Samuel, 16, 19 
Argonencey, 280, 293 
Argus, The Eastern, 154 
Arrowslc, 214, 215, 249, 250 
Arundel, 163 
Archangel, The, 30 
Atlantic, 287 
Atus, London, 338 
Augusta, 36 
Avery, Robert, 342 
Azores Islands, 34 

Babb, Legend of Old, 85 
Badger’s Island, 60 
Bagaduce, 20, 305 
Bagley, Robert, 141, 142 
Bagnell, Walter, 186, 187 


Bailey’s Island, 199 
Bailey’s Mistake, 354 
Bald Head (Arrovirsic), 249 
Bald Head (Phipsburg), 204 
Bangor, 292, 294, 304 
Bangs, John Kendrick, 171 
Barbary States, 143 
Bar Harbor, 321-325, 326, 261 
Bates, Arlo, 194, 350 
Bath, 205-21 1, 213, 250 
Bath Iron Works, 207 
Battles: Dyce’s Head, 294, 295; 
Enterprise and Boxer, 244, 245; 
Eort Cumberland, 343; Hamp¬ 
den, 302, 303; Machias, 340- 
343, 344-346; near Steuben, 

327 

Baxter, James P., 45 
Baxter Boulevard, 117 
Bay of Eundy, 14, 360 
Bayville, 241 
Bear Island, 316 
Belfast, 269, 287-289, 302 
Bernard, Sir Erancls, 314, 315 
Berwick, 28. See South Berwick 
Betsey Booker and Skipper Perkins, 
170 

Betty Moody’s Hole, 85 
Biard, Bather, 18, 19 
Biarne, 10 

Biddeford, 72, 91, 92, 99, 100, 
113, 163, 168 

Biddeford Pool, 87, 99, 171 
Bigot, Bather 

Black Point (now Prout’s Neck), 
97, 106, 108, 109 
Blueberry Industry, 330, 331 
Bluehill, 269, 305, 310, 311, 317 
Bluehill Bay, 310, 317 
Blyth, Capt. Samuel 
Bonython, John, 90 
Bonython, Richard, 88 


INDEX 


381 


Bonvthon, Ruth, 90 
Boon Island, 41, 79 
Boothbay, 121. See East Booth- 
bay 

Boothbay Harbor, 241, 245, 25 3, 
256 

Boston, 20 

Boston Port Bill, 132 
Bowdoin College, 190-196 
Bowdoin, James, 192 
Bowdoin, James, son of the above 
James Bowdoin, 192 
Bowdoin Pines, 190 
Brackett, Anthony, 130, 148 
Bradshaw, Richard, 122 
Bray, John, 63 
Bramhall, George, 117 
BramhalPs Hill, 115 
Breda, Treaty of, 23 
Brenton, Collector of Customs, 
Boston, 230 
Brewer, 291 

Brick Buildings, 142, 145 
Bristol, 219, 225, 243, 250, 251 
Broad Cove, 25 3, 254 
Brock, Rev. John, 79-81 
Brookfield, 306 
Brooklin, 309 
Brown, John, 219 
Bruin, The, 327 
Brunswick, 133, 188-198, 210 
Buck, Col. Jonathan, 291 
Buck’s Harbor, 343 
Bucksport, 291, 292 
Bull, Dixey, 219 
Burgess, John, 186 
Burnham, Captain (Cape Porpoise), 
104 

Burnham, Mrs. Clara Louise, 199 
Burnham Tavern, 347 
Burroughs, Rev. George, 169, 170 
Burrows, Capt. William, 244 
Burton, Major Benjamin, 299, 
300, 301 


Cabot, John, 13, 259 
Cadillac, Mount, 321 
Cadillac; see de Cadillac 
Calais, 327, 367-369; Salmon Pool 
at, 369 

Caleb Cushing, Capture of the, 
135-137 

Camden, 276, 282-285 
Cammock, Thomas, 106, 123 
Campbell, General, 299 
Campobello, N. B., 360, 362 
Canal to Sebago Lake, 138 
Canseau, 65, 68 
Cape Breton Island, 65 
Cape Cottage, 184 
Cape Elizabeth, 36, 40, 101, 1 15, 
169, 178, 182-188 
Cape Neddick, 41, 45 
Cape Newagen, 245, 246 
Cape Porpoise, 100-105, 124, 165 
Capital Island, 245 
Capuchins, 22 
Card playing, 168 
Cargyle, Capt., kills friendly In¬ 
dians, 269 

Casco or Casco Neck (not present 
town of Casco, Me.), 88, 126- 
129. Also see Machegonne, Fal¬ 
mouth, and Portland 
Casco Bay, 120, 174, 177, 178, 
180, 181, 183, 199, 202 
Castin, Anslem, 28 
Castin, Baron, 23-28, 222, 224 
Castin, Joseph Dabadis, 309 
Castine, 20-29, 222, 269, 283, 
294-306 

Castine, the Gunboat, 207 
Catherine Hill, 330 
Cedar Island, 77 
Cervera, Admiral, 62 
Chamberlain, Gen. J. L., 144 
Champlain, Lake, 229 
Champlain, Samuel, 14, 16, 39, 
76, 87, 102, 120, 186, 249, 
256, 287, 294 


382 


COASTAL MAINE 


Chandler’s River, 338 
Chappell, ex-corsair, 246 
Charlemagne, 12 
Cherryfield, 329-331 
Chester, the Scout Cruiser, 207 
Cheverus, Cardinal, Archbishop of 
Bordeaux, 234 

Christian and Missionary Alliance, 
97 

Christmas Cove, 239 
Chubb, Captain, 224, 230 
Churches and Chapels: Pentagoet, 
23; Castine, 27, 29; York, 54, 
162; Wells, 5 5, 162; Gosport, 
83; Kennebunk, 101, 102; Wil- 
liston, 158; Aina, 233; St. Pat¬ 
rick’s, 234; Walpole, 250; Wal- 
doboro, 25 5 ; Thomaston, 266; 
Castine, 305 

Churches and church customs, 161- 
164 

Church, Major Benjamin, 130, 
141 

Clark, Rev. Francis E., 158 
Clergymen: Rev. Richard Sey¬ 

mour, 35; Rev. Benj. Hall, 45, 
79; Rev. Geo. Whitefield, 67; 
Rev. Samuel Moody, 68, 71, 
162; Rev. John Brock, 80; Rev. 
John Tucke, 82; Rev. Robert 
Jordan, 123; Rev. Thomas Jen- 
ner, 126; Rev. Thomas Smith, 
140; Rev. P'rancis E. Clarke, 
158; Rev. Seth Fletcher, 168; 
Rev. Geo. Burroughs, 170; Rev. 
Richard Gibson, 188; Rev. James 
Lyon, 347. Also see Priests 
Cleeve, George, 88, 122-129, 148 
Clinton, Gov. DeWltt, 67 
Clipper Ships, 207 
Clough, Capt. Stephen, 231, 232 
Codman Tavern, 176, 177 
Cogawesco, 121 
Cole, Samuel V., 350 
Collier, Sir George, 346, 396 


Colonies: St. Croix, 14-16; St. 
Sauveur, 18, 19; Popham, 35- 
38; Waldoboro, 25 3-255 
Columbia, 329, 330 
Columbia Falls, 329, 330 
Connecticut, 66 
Constitution, the, 143 
Converse, Capt., 57 
Cooper, Bruce, 25 5 
Cooper, J. Fenimore, 341 
Copper Mine at Sargentville, 307 
Cornw^all, County of, 221 
Corte-Real, 13 
Coulson, Capt., 133 
Courts and Punishments, 166 
Cranberry Islands, 315, 316 
Criehaven, 272-274 
Cromwell, Sir Oliver, 45, 5 5, 73 
Cuckolds, the, 245 
Cumberland, 174, 175, 181 
Cumberland Mills, 121, 173 
Cundy’s Harbor, 202 
Curtis, Cyrus H. K., 158, 159 
Cushing, 261, 299 
Cushing’s Island, 115 
Cutler, 35 1, 35 3 
Cutting, John, 81 
Cutts, Richard, 81 

Damariscotta, 65, 219, 233, 241, 
253 

Damariscotta Lake, 237 
Damariscotta Mills, 242 
Damariscotta River, 233, 236, 237, 
241, 242 

Damariscove Island, 39, 219, 239, 
256 

Damerill Isles, 239 

Dancing, 140, 168 

Dark Harbor, 280, 281 

D’Aulney, 20-23 

Day, Roscoe, 194, 350 

Dead Ship of Harpswell, the, 200 

De Cadillac, Marie, 315 

Dc Cadillac, Sieur, 314 


INDEX 


383 


De Castin; see Castin 
De Chambly, 26 
Deering, Nathaniel, 142 
Deering Oaks, 117, 147 
Deer Island, N. B., 359 
Deer Isle, 285, 359, 307-309 
Defiance, the, 327 
De Gogorza, Mme. Emma Eames, 
211 

De Gogorza, Emilio, 211 
De Guercheville, Mme., 17, 314 
De Iberville, 224 
Deland, Margaret Wade, 171 
De Monts, Sieur, 14-16, 33, 365 
Denny, Samuel, 215 
Dennys (the Indian), 354 
Dennysville, 354, 362; salmon 

pool at, 354 

De St. Pry, Benncte Claude, 231 
Devonshire, County of, 221 
Dineppe, Parmentier, 293 
Discoverer, the, 29 
Dole, Nathan Haskell, 171 
Dow, Gen. Neal, 156, 157 
Downing, Major Jack (Seba 
Smith), 155 
Dress, 140, 142, 167 
Drunkard, the, 275 
Duchambon, Commander of Louis- 
burg, 71 
Duck Island, 77 

Dunbar, Col. David, 225, 241, 242 
Dunincour, M., 111 
Dunincour, Mme., 111 
Dunne, Peter Finley, 171 
Dunstan, 108 
Du Thet, Gilbert, 17, 19 
Dyce’s Head, 294, 295 

Eagle Island, 181, 199 
Eagle Lake, 321, 322 
Eames, Mme. Emma de Gogorza, 
211 

Early Highways, 165, 166 
East Boothbay, 237, 238, 242, 251 


Eastern Argus, 154 
Eastern Promenade, 115 
East Machias, 350, 35 1 
Eastport, 354-361 
East River, 340 
Eddy, Jonathan, 243 
Edgecomb, 230, 231 
Egermet, 57, 224 
Eggemoggin Reach, 306, 307, 308, 
309, 310, 317 
Elbridge, Gyles, 219 
Eliot, 73 

Elliott, Gertrude, 272 
Elliott, Maxine, 271 
Ellsworth, 311, 313 
Enterprise and Boxer, 244, 245 
Episcopalians, 141 
Exeter, N. H., 55 

Falm.outh, 67, 68, 1 15, 131, 132, 
133, 135, 168, 174, 175. See 
Portland 

Falmouth Gazette, 142 
Falmouth Packet, the, 340 
Farmer, Miss, 73 
Fenno, Miss, 298, 299 
Fern, Fanny (Sara Payson Willis), 
154 

Fessenden, William P., 156, 195 
Fiddler, the, 275 
Fire of 1866 (Portland), 142 
First Parish Church (Portland), 
141 

Fishing Industry, 38, 40, 270, 271, 
313, 356-359 
Fish Weir, the, 357 
Fiske, John, 73 
Five Islands, 246-249 
Flemish take Pentagoet, 26 
Fletcher, Rev. Seth, 168 
Flory, Captain, 17, 19 
Fluker, Lucy, 263 
Fore River, 182 
Fort Allen, 115 
Fort Charles, 221, 223 


384 


COASTAL MAINE 


Fort Edgecomb, 232 
Fort Frederick, 225 
Fort George (Castine), 294, 305 
Fort George (Thomaston) 

Fort Knox, 291 
Fort Loyal, 129 
Fort Point, 291 
Fort Popham, 205 
Fort Preble, 142 
Fort St. George, 37 
Fort Scammel, 142 
Fort Sullivan, 356, 359 
Fort Sumner, 142 
Fort William Henry, 223, 229 
Fort Williams, 183 
Foster, Benjamin, 340, 343, 344, 
345 

Foster Rubicon, the, 340 
Frankfort, 292, 302 
Franklin, 325 
Franklin, Benjamin, 66 
Friendship, 251 
Frontenac, 46 
Frye, William P., 195 
Frye, William P., the, 206 
Fox Islands, 275 

Fox Island Thoroughfare, 275, 276 
Fox, John, 171 
Fox, Master, 107 
Fuller, Melville W., 195 

Garrison houses, 56, 57, 88, 89 
Garrison, William Lloyd, 198 
Georgetown, 205, 215, 246, 248 
Georgia, the Battleship, 207 
German Settlement at Waldoboro, 
253-256 

Gibson, Rev. Richard, 188 
Gift of God, the, 33, 34, 37 
Gilbert, Raleigh, 33, 34, 38, 177 
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 33, 294 
Gilkey, John, 281 
Godfrey, Edward, 42 
Gomez, 1 3 
Gomez, 176 


“Good Old Times,” 201 
Goodyear, Moses, 122 
Googins Rocks, 97 
Goose Fare Brook, 94 
Goose River, 354 
Gorgeana, 42, 43 
Gorges, Sir Ferdinando, 33, 88, 
123 

Gorham, 173, 174 
Gorham Academy, 201 
Gorham Normal School, 173 
Gosnold, Bartholomew, 29, 76, 101 
Gosport, 82, 83, 84 
Gouldsboro, 326 
Governor Ames, the, 25 3 
Grand Manan, N. B., 18, 185, 
259, 362 

Grand Trunk Railway, 138, 139, 
156 

Granite Industry, 277-279, 286 

Great Chebeague Island, 18 1 

Great Diamond Island, 180 

Great Works, 74 

Greenacre, 73 

Greenland, 10, 11 

Greely, Alice, 13 5, 140 

Grief and History, 153 

Gudrida, 11 

Gulf of Maine, 10, 13 

Half, Captain “Hank,” 309 
Hakluyt, 293, 294 
Hale, Edward Everett, 73 
Hale, Hon. Eugene, 311, 312 
Haley, Samuel, 82 
Hall, Captain, 129, 130 
Hall, Rev. Benjamin, 45, 79 
Hall, Ebenezar, 273, 274 
Hall, Gen. James A., 23 5 
Hall’s Battery, 23 5 
Hampden, 302, 303, 304 
Hancock, 325 

Hancock County, 3 1 1, 3 30, 332 
Hardy, Sir Thomas, 35 5 
Harpswell, 185, 198-202 


385 


INDEX 


Harrington, 328, 333 
Harris, George, 194, 3 50 
Harris, Samuel, 350 
Harrow House, 172 
Hathon, Judge, 170 
Hawthorne, 152, 194 
Haycock’s Harbor, 354 
Hell Gate, 249 
Helluland, 10 
Henry IV of France, 14 
Higgins Beach, 108 
Highways, 165, 166, 35 5 
Hillard, George S., 350 
Hypocrites, the, 239 
Hockomock Bay, 249 
Hockomock Head, 249; notes be¬ 
ginning with page 370 
Holbrook’s Island, 305 
Honfleur, 17 
Hope, the, 345, 346 
House Island, 121 
Howard, Gen. Oliver O., 194 
Howells, William Dean, 73, 171 
Hull’s Cove, 315, 321 
Humbert, King of Italy, 153 
Hunnewell, Richard, 110 
Hurricane Island, 279 
Huskings, 168, 169 

Indians, 13 (called Skellings), 13, 
16, 18, 27, 28, 31, 32, 34, 35, 
40, 41, 45, 56, 57, 59, 74, 88- 
90, 97, 102, 108, 111, 129, 
132, 175, 189, 215, 219, 221, 
222, 236, 249, 253, 262, 263, 
269, 273, 345, 365, 366 
Indian Island, 91 
Indian River, 332, 333 
Infantry, Sixteenth Maine, 23 5 
Ingraham, 293, 294 
Ingrahame, Story of Mrs., 163 
Inner Heron Island, 239 
Intoxicants, 49, 106, 107, 129, 
1 56, 157, 167, 213 


Irish Settlement at Damariscotta, 
234, 235 
Iroquois, 23 

Isle au Haut, 287, 309 

Isle de Bacchus, 120 

Islesboro, 280-282 

Isle of Springs, 246 

Isles of Shoals, 29, 63, 76-87, 121 

James I of England, 29 
Jameson Tavern, 176, 177 
Jefferson, 236 
Jenner, Rev. Thomas, 126 
Jernegan Gold Swindle, 363, 364 
Jewett, Capt. Lincoln, 213, 214 
Jewett, Sarah Orne, 75 
Jewell’s Island, 180, 183 
John Adams, the, 302 
John’s Bay, 215 
Jones, Capt. Paul, 60 
Jonesboro, 338 
Jonesport, 332-326 
Jordan, Rev. Robert, 123, 126, 
127, 128, 188 

Josselyn, Henry, 106, 108, 123, 
125, 126, 127 

Josselyn, John, 106-108, 236 
Junk of Pork Island, 183 

Karlsefne, 11 
Katahdin, the ram, 267 
Kavanaugh, Gov. Edward, 23 5 
Kearsarge, the, 60 
Kellogg, Rev. Elijah, 193, 194, 
200-202 

Kennebec River, 36, 41, 189, 203, 
204, 215, 230; see Sagadahoc 
Kennebunk, 100, 101, 164, 165 
Kennebunkport, 101, 171 
Kennebunk River, 102, 125 
Kidd, Captain, 180 
Kimball, Sumner I., 329 
King’s dock, the (Bath), 209 
King, Gov. William, 209, 210 
Kittery, 60-87, 97, 171 


386 


COASTAL MAINE 


Kittery Point, 63 
Kittery Navy Yard, 62 
Knox, Gen. Henry, 193, 263-265 
Knox, Lucy, wife of Gen. Henry 
Knox, 263-266 
Kotzschmar, Herman, 158 
Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, 159, 
160 

Labocree, 5 7 

Labrador, 10 

La Brognerie 

Lafayette, 100, 165 

Lafayette Elm, 100 

Lafayette National Park, 322-324 

La Heve, 17 

Lamoine, 3 1 3 

Larrabee, John, 109 

La Saussaye, 17, 19 

La Tour, 20-22 

Lebanon, 329 

Leif the Lucky, 10, 11 

Leighton, Mr., 83 

Leighton’s Point, 72, 73 

Leo, Father, 23 

Levett, Christopher, 39, 87, 100, 
121, 219, 246 
Lewiston, 1 1 3 

“Lexington of the Sea,” the 
Liberty, the, 343 
Lightfoot, Capt., 130 
Lime Industry, 264, 267, 268 
Linnekin, 241 
Linnekin Bay, 241 
“Lion Ben of Elm Island,” 201 
Lion, the, 350 
Little Diamond Island, 180 
Little Machias Bay, 351 
Little River Island, 35 3 
Lobster, the, 268 
Lobster Hatchery, 244 
Lobster Industry, 243 
Logan, Gen. John A., 153 
Longfellow, Henry W., 144-148, 
190, 194, 235 


Longfellow Statue, 144, 153 
Long Island (Portland), 180 
Long Reach (Bath), 205 
Louis XIV, 3 14 

Louisburg Expedition, 65-72, 256 
Louis Philippe, 232, 365 
Lovell, Gen., 294, 296 
Lowell, James Russell, 77 
Lygonia Patent, 124, 125, 126, 
127 

Lyon, Rev. James, 338, 344, 347 
Lubec, 354, 361-365 
Lumbering Industry, 336, 349 
Lutherans, 25 5 
Lutheran Church, 254 

Maceo, Gen. Jose, 176 
Machegonne, 122, 124, 126. See 
Portland 

Machias, 336-348 
Machias, the Gunboat, 207 
Machiasport, 336, 343, 349 
Maine Historical Society, 145 
Malaga Island, 77, 82 
Mansions, Old, 143, 145, 150 
Marble Faun, the, 152 
Margaretta, the, 327-343, 347 
Marie Antoinette, 231, 232 
Markland, 10 

Mary and John, the, 33, 34, 37 
Mason, John, 41 

Massachusetts, 12, 44, 45, 73, 79, 
81, 125, 126, 127, 242 
Massachusetts Hall, 190 
Masse, Father, 18 
Mather, Rev. Cotton, 170, 223 
Mather, Rev. Increase, 229 
Matinicus, 258, 269, 272-274 
Mazarin, 23 
McCulloch, Hugh, 101 
McCutcheon, George Barr, 171 
McKeen, President, 193 
McLane, Gen., 294 
McMillan, Donald, 176 
Medomak River, 25 3 


INDEX 


387 


Megunticook, Lake, 283 
Megunticook, Mount, 283 
Memorial Bridges: Belfast, 288; 
Kittery, 60 

Menhaden Factories, 240 
Menon, 287 
Merrimac, 41 
Merrymeeting Bay, 189 
Milbridge, 328, 329, 330 
Milton, John, 293 
Mitchell, Gov. Soplel, 365 
Mitton, Michael, 129 
Modockawando, 24, 57 
Mogg, 90, 108 
Molybdenite, 330 
Mona, 258, 261 

Monhegan, 30, 39, 40, 185, 240, 
244, 256-252, 283 
Moody, Rev. Samuel, 68, 71, 162, 
163 

Moore, Captain, 338-343 
Moore, Sir John, 294 
Moose Island, 35 5, 356 
Moose River, 354 
Moravians, 25 5 
Morey, Nicholas, 102 
Moscongus, 219, 251, 252, 253 
Montpelier, 264-266 
Montreal, 139, 229 
Montville, 289 
Mountainville, 308 
Mount Battle, 283, 284 
Mount Cadillac, 321 
Mount Desert, Town of, 321 
Mount Desert Island, 1 1, 18, 283, 
287, 305, 314-325 
Mount Megunticook, 283 
Mount PIsgah, 244 
Munjoy Hill, 1 14, 134, 136, 181 
Murray Hill, 241 
Muster day, 51, 284, 288 
Mowatt, Capt., 133-135 
Moxus, 57, 222 


Nahanada, 35 

National Park, the Lafayette, 322- 
324 

Nantucket, 30 
Narraguagus River, 329 
Naskeag Point, 309, 310 
Nautilus Island, 305 
Neal, Capt., 219 
Neal, John, 1 52, 155, 156, 184 
Neptune, Francis Joseph, 345 
Neptune, Ex-Gov. William, 365 
New Brunswick, 16, 20 
Newcastle, 230, 233, 241 
Newfoundland, Grand Banks of, 
39 

New Gloucester 

New Hampshire, 66, 76, 81, 82, 
126, 139, 242 
New Harbor, 217, 225 
Newishawannock, 74 
New Jersey, 67 
New Meadows, 189, 203 
New Somersetshire, 41 
Newspapers, 140, 142, 154 
New York, 66 
Nonesuch River, 108, 110 
Normal Schools: Gorham, 173; 

Castine, 305 ; Machias, 346 
Norsemen, 258 
Northeast Harbor, 320, 321 
Northern Maine Junction, 290 
North Haven, 275, 276 
Northmen, 10-12, 358, 259 
Northport, 287 
Notman, the Charles P., 214 
Norton, Captain, 334, 335 
Norumbega, 293, 294 
Nova Scotia, 10, 14, 65, 343 
Nubble, the, 41, 45 

Oak Bay, 366 

O’Brien, Commodore Jeremiah 
340, 341 

O’Brien, John, 341 
Ocean Point, 240 


388 


COASTAL MAINE 


Oceanville, 308 
Ogunquit, 165, 171 
Old Churches, 5 5, 162, 233, 234, 
235, 250, 255 

Old Customs, 139-142, 161-169, 
21 1-213, 254, 288 
Old Jed Prouty, Drama of, 292 
Old Orchard, 84, 93-98 
Oliver, Mrs. 

Orland, 311 
Orrington, 333 
Orr’s Island, 199, 3 58 
Otter Creek, 321 
Owl’s Head, 269 

Oyster shell heaps at Damariscotta, 
235, 236 

Packard, Professor Alpheus S., 190 
Page, Thomas Nelson, 171 
Palestine, Expedition to, 332-336 
Paper Manufacturing, 172, 173 
Paradise (Boothbay), 241 
Parker’s Head, 203 
Parkman, Francis, 26, 230 
Passamaquoddy Bay, 14, 3 5 5, 360 
Passamaquoddy Indians, 344, 345, 
346, 365, 366 
Patriotic Meetings, 164, 165 
Patten Bay, 3 1 3 

Pavements at Pemaquid, 220, 221 
Peaks Island, 115, 178, 180 
“Pearl Diver, the,” 152 
“Pearl of Orr’s Island, the,” 199 
Peary, Admiral Robert E., 195, 
199, 291 

Pejepscot Falls, 189 
Pemaquid, 28, 34, 39, 215-226, 
230, 240, 241, 244, 25 1 
Pemaquid Point, 217, 306 
Pembroke, 354, 362 
Pementic, 18 
Pennsylvania, 67 

Penobscot Bay, 40, 269, 274, 283, 
294 


Penobscot River, 13, 17, 20, 219, 
243, 290, 293, 301 
Pentecost Harbor, 30, 35, 261 
Pentagoet, 20, 22, 23, 24; also see 
Castine 

Pepperrell, Lady, 72 
Pepperrell, William, 63 
Pepperrell, Sir William, 64-72, 77, 
91, 163, 256, 329 
Phillips, William, 88, 89 
Phips, Sir William, 223, 224, 226- 
231 

Phipsburg, 203, 204 
Phips Point, 226 
Physicians, 168 
Pierce, Franklin, 194 
Pine Point, 108 
Pirates, 85, 219 

Piscataqua, 60, 63, 73, 74, 101, 
219 

Piaisted, Elisha, 59 
Pleasant Point, 365, 366 
Plymouth (England), 33 
Plymouth Colony, 20, 215 
Plymouth Company, 32, 33 
Pogy Factories, 240 
Point of Maine, 347 
Pond Cove (Cape Elizabeth)*, 184 
Poor, John A., 138-139, 156 
Popham Colony, the, 79, 218 
Popham Beach, 204 
Popham Expedition, the, 33-38 
Popham, Sir Francis, 38, 40 
Popham, Capt. George, 33 
Popham, Lord John, 33, 37, 41 
Port Clyde, 261 

Portland, 28, 42, 1 11-161, 178, 
192, 213, 245; see Casco, Fal¬ 
mouth, and Machegonne 
Portland Head, 214 
Portland Head Light, 183 
Portneuf, 57 

Portsmouth, N. H., 42, 59, 60, 62, 
103 

Portsmouth, Treaty of, 62 


INDEX 


389 


Port Royal, 14, 17, 22, 28, 39, 65 j 
see Annapolis 
Portugal, 13 
Poutrincourt, 14, 16 
Pownall, Governor, 291 
Preble, Commodore Edward, 143 
Presumpscot River, 121, 126, 127, 
172, 173, 174 

Priests: Father Quentin, 17; Father 
Biard, 18, 250, 290, 320; Father 
Masse, 18; Father Leo, 23; 
Father Thury, 27, 224; Father 
Bigot, 224 

Pring, Martin, 29, 32, 63, 76, 87, 
259, 275 

“Promised Land, the,” 1 5 3 
Prout’s Neck, 105-108; see Black 
Point 

Purchase, Thomas, 189 
Puritans, 20 
Purpooduck, 142 
Putman, Major, 35 5 
Pyrenees, 23, 25 

Quakers, 141 

Quebec, 23, 26, 28, 65, 120, 130, 
224, 228, 22.9, 31 1 
Quentin, Father, 17 
Quoddy Head; see West Quoddy 
Head 

Railroads, 138-140 
Raleigh, Sir Walter, 40 
Ranger, the, 60 
Razillai, 20 
Red Beach, 367 

Reed, Hon. Thomas Brackett, 148- 
150, 195 

Reid, Captain, 207 
Revere, Col. Paul, 294 
Revolutionary War, 294, 302, 337, 
347 

Reynolds, John, 8 1 
Rhode Island, 12, 66 
Richard, the, 33 


Richardson, John, 316 
Richelieu, 23 

Richmond’s Island, 120, 122, 186- 
188 

Rigby, Sir Alexander, 124, 125, 
126 

Rigby, Edward, 127 

Rio de Gomez, 13 

Riverton, 174 

Robbinston, 366, 367 

Robeustal, 293 

'^obin Hood’s Cove, 248 

Rockland, 267-272, 283 

“Rock Me to Sleep, Mother,” 152 

Rockport, 282, 284 

Roosevelt, the, 291 

Roque Bluff, 247 

Rosier, 30, 31, 38 

Rosier, Cape, 306 

Round Pond, 25 1, 253, 276 

Royal River, 175 

Sabino, 36, 204 
Saccarappa (Westbrook), 152 
Saco, 42, 72, 88, 91, 99, 127, 163, 
165 

Saco River, 87, 91, 92, 98 
Sagadahoc, 12, 35, 37, 125, 128, 
221, 229; see Kennebec 
Sagas, 10 

Sagamore of Saco, 1 5 5 
St. Andrews, N. B., 367 
St. Aspinquid, 5 3, notes beginning 
p. 370 

St. Croix Island, 15, 16 
St. Croix River, 17, 33, 229, 291, 
365-367 

St. George, 219, 261 
St. George, Fort, (Sabino), 37 
St. George, Fort, (Thomaston), 
262, 263 

St. George’s Harbor, 35 
St. George Islands, 35, 36 
St. George River, 30-33, 25 5, 261, 
262, 264, 270, 302 


a 


COASTAL MAINE 


390 

St. John, 20, 21 
St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway 
(Grand Trunk), 138, 139 
St. Patrick’s Church (Damariscotta), 
234 

St. Sauveur, 18-20, 325 
St. Stephen, N. B., 369 
Salisbury Cove, 321, 323 
Sally Cove, 308 

Saltonstall, Commodore, 294, 296 
Samoset, 219 
Sardine Industry, 357 
Sargentville, 306, 307 
Scallop fishing, 270, 271 
Scammon, Humphrey, 110 
Scammon, Mary (Mme. Dunin- 
cour), 110 

Scarboro, 105, 127, 336 
Schools, Early, 5 0, 141, 142, 167 
Scotch Settlement at Boothbay, 241 
Seal Harbor, 321 
Searsport, 289, 290 
Seavy’s Island, 62 
Sebasco, 202 
Sedgwick, 309 
Sedgwick, Major, 23 
Seguin, 35, 185, 204, 258 
Sewall, Dummer, 209 
Sewall, Judge, 170 
Sewall’s Bridge, 370 
Seymour, Rev. Richard 
Sheepscot region, 39, 219, 221, 
226, 230, 236, 246 
Sherbrooke, Sir John, 302, 303 
Shipbuilding, 2u5 
Shirley, Governor, 61, 71 
Shore Road (Cape Elizabeth), 184, 
185 

Shore Walk (Bar Harbor), 324, 
325 

Shute, Abraham, 221 
Simmons, Franklin, 15 3, 154 
Sinless Child, 155 
Skidwarres, 34 


Skipper Perkins and Betsey Booker, 
170 

Smith, Elizabeth Oak, 155 
Smith, Capt. John, 17, 34-40, 76, 
77, 102, 182, 218, 246, 256, 
260 

Smith, Rev. Joseph, 164 
Smith, Seba (Major Jack Down¬ 
ing), 155 

Smith, Capt. Stephen, 76 
Smith’s Isles, 76 

Smith, Rev. Thomas, 71, 131, 140, 
141, 347 
Snorri, 11 

Social Life, 168, 169 
Soldiers’ Monument, 132, 153 
Somes, Lucy, Marriage to Nicholas 
Thomas, 3 15 
Somes’ Sound, 320, 321 
Somesville, 321 
Sorrento, 326 

South Berwick, 74-76, 97, 169 
South Bristol, 28, 219, 25 3 
South Portland, 182 
Southport, 245, 246 
South Thomaston, 270 
Southwest Harbor, 314, 316, 318, 
319 

Spartacus to the Gladiators, 201 

Speedwell, the, 29 

Spofford, Harriet Prescott, 368 

Spruce Head, 270 

Spurwink River, 122 

Squirrel Island, 245 

Small Point, 185, 202, 204 

Smuttynose Island, 79 

Stamp Act, 132 

Staples, Eben, 94 

Star Island, 76, 82 

State Pier, 137, 160, 161 

State Street, 118, 119 

Steuben, 326, 327 

Stevens, Mrs. Lillian, 172 

Stillman, Major George, 344, 345 

Stockton, Lieutenant, 298, 299 


INDEX 


391 


Stockton Springs, 289, 290 
Stonington, 269, 28 5, 286, 307 
Stover Garrison, 57, 89 
Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 196-198 
Stratton, John, 106 
Strong Arms and a Mother’s Bless¬ 
ing, 201 

Stroudwater Village, 171, 172 
Swan’s Island, 269, 286, 287 
Swanton, Capt. William, 205 
Sweat Museum, 150-154 
Sweet, Capt. Benjamin, 109 
Sugar Loaves, 275 
Sullivan, 325, 326 
Sullivan Falls, 326 
Sullivan, Jam.es, 75 
Sullivan, John, 74 
Sunday Schools, 164 
Sunset, 307 
Sunshine, 307 
Surry, 313, 334 
Sutton Island, 316 

Talleyrand, 232, 265 

Tarkington, Booth, 171 

Tarrantines, 24, 29, 264, 274 

Tate House, 172 

Twain, Mark, 171 

Teach, Legend of Captain, 85 

Teaparty at York, 48 

Tenant’s Harbor, 261 

Tenedos, the, 316 

Tent Village, the, 313, 314 

Thaxter, Mrs. Celia, 84 

Theaters, 140 

Thevet, 13, 280, 293 

Thomaston, 32, 251, 261-267, 296 

Thompson, Samuel, 133-135 

Thorwald, 1 1 

Thread of Life, 239 

Thrumcap, 239 

Tiger, the, 349 

Tillson’s Wharf, 269 

Tappen, Lieutenant, 109 

Topsham, 188, 210, 212 


Townshend, 241, 245, 246 

Tozier, John, 74 

Treaty of Breda, 23; Ghent, 284; 

Paris, 291; Portsmouth, 62 
Trelawney, Robert, 122, 187 
Trenton, 313 
Trotts Island, 104 
Tucke, Rev, John, 82 
Tucker, Richard, 122, 125 
Tucker, Commodore Samuel, 251 
Tunk Pond, 330 
Turner, 311 
Turtle Plead, 282 
Two Lights, 185, notes beginning 
p. 370 

Tyng, Capt. Edward, 68 

Ulmer, Captain, 256 
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 196-198 
Union River, 312 
Unity, the, 340, 341 
Unnonquoit, 219 

Vaughn, Capt. William, 65, 66, 
68, 69, 234 
Vehicles, 166 
Verona, 291 
Vermont, 139 
Verrazano, 13, 293 
“Viewing the Promised Land,” 
153, 155 

Vinalhaven, 269, 275-279 
Vineland, 10, 11 

Vines, Richard, 87, 88, 123, 125, 
126, 336 
Virginia, 256 
Virginia, the, 36 

Waldoboro, 253-256, 262 
Waldo Patent, 25 3, 262 
Waldo, Gen. Samuel, 67, 70, 173, 
253, 254, 263 
Walpole Church, 250 
Wardsworth, Gen. Peleg, 145, 294, 
296-302 


392 


COASTAL MAINE 


War of 1812, 302-304, 316, 327, 
355, 356 
Warren, 262 

Warren, Commodore, 68, 69, 70, 
71, 163 

Washboiler, the, 239 
Washerwoman, the, 260 
Washington Academy, 350, 352 
Washington County, 326, 328, 

330, 332 

Washington Normal School, 346 
Waymouth, Capt. George, 30-32, 
34, 35, 41, 256, 258, 259, 261, 
262 

Webster, 153 
Weems, Captain, 223 
Wells, 28, 53-59, 72, 89, 162, 
164, 165, 168, 169 
Wells, Thomas, 88 
Westbrook, 172, 173 
Westbrook, Col. Thomas, 172, 173, 
262 

Western Mountain, 317, 318 
Western Promenade, 115 
Weston, Hannah, 338 
Weston, Rebecca, 238 
Westport, 246 

West Quoddy Head, 259, 269, 
354, 363 

Wheelwright, Hannah, 59 
Wheelwright, Rev. John, 5 5 
Whitefield, 163 
Whitefield, Rev. George, 67 
Whitehead, 178, 258 
White Island, 83, 85 
White Mountains, 87, 112, 117 
Whiting, 354, 362 
Whitneyville, 349 
Whltneyville and Machiasport R. 
R., 349, 350 


Whittier, John Greenleaf, 90 
Wild Grapes, 10, 36 
Willis, Nathaniel, 154 
Willis, Nathaniel P., 154, 160 
Willis, Sara Payson (Fanny Fern), 
154 

Williston Church, 158 
Wingate House, 150 
Winnegance, 208 
Winslow, Edward, 218 
Winslow, Capt. Josiah, 261 
Winter Harbor (Biddeford), 87, 
97, 106 

Winter Harbor (Hancock Co.;, 
326 

Winter Head, 35 3 
Winter, John, 122, 124, 187, 188 
Winterport, 292 
Winter, Sara, 188 
Winthrop, Gov. John, 88, 123, 
125, 126, 186,^229 
Wlscasset, 230, 233, 25 3 
Wise, Thomas, 187 
Wiswell, Rev., 134 
Witchcraft, 169, 170, 230 
Witch’s Curse, the, 292 
Withers, Thomas, 60 
Wood Island, 99 
Woolwich, 226, 230 

Yarmouth, 28, 174-176 
Yarmouth Academy, 176 
York, 28, 43-53, 67, 68, 72, 84, 
162, 163, 168, 171, 221, 334; 
see Gorgeana 

York (same as Portland), 121 
York, Duke of, 221 
Young People’s Society of Chris¬ 
tian Endeavor, 158 
Youth’s Companion, the, 154 


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